That Was...Quick....

So Obama has been in office for about ten months now. His accomplishments in the Nobel Peace Prize winning area include, from what I can tell, making a speech in Cairo and being non - aggressive with Iran (Although his dealings with said country haven't yet accomplished anything solid, I must point out).

Here's a list of the other people considered, and passed over, for the Nobel Peace Prize:



Sima Samar, women's rights activist in Afghanistan: "With dogged persistence and at great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul and accepted the post of Minister for Women's Affairs."

Ingrid Betancourt: French-Colombian ex-hostage held for six years.

"Dr. Denis Mukwege: Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence."

Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: "These organizations are recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines. Innocent civilians are regularly killed worldwide because the unseen bombs explode when stepped upon."

"Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for 'inciting subversion of state power.'"

"Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China's communist system. He now lives in the United States."

Does anyone else find that damn odd?

Another Reason to Promote Clean Drinking Water

I've heard it theorized by some that estrogens slipping into our water supply are partially responsible for the burgeoning amount of liberals/liberal male politicians we've been seeing in the government in the last few years. Although I can't say I've gotten that part about liberal men from completely reliable sources, (cough*ravingrightwingparent*cough) I can say that the part about the estrogens in the water is, in fact, true.

While I can somewhat agree with the idea that some liberal-ification has been going on, I've noticed a more disturbing symptom of the same phenomenon recently right here in Iowa. At least three times this week, I have seen boys - approximately 11-to-14 years of age, out in public - reading books from the Twilight series.

WTF? I know it's none of my business, but I thought that was the kind of thing males did when they were sure no one would ever find out about it.

For those of you unfamiliar with this Twilight thing I'm talking about, suffice it to say that they are very, very girly novels. Here are a few quotes from this livejournal review that I think sum up my feelings about the tone of the books pretty nicely:

*- Some of the descriptions of Edward are so corny it's painful. Example: "He grinned his crooked smile at me, stopping my breath and my heart. I couldn't imagine how any angel could be more glorious. There was nothing about him that could be improved upon."

*What kind of pansy-ass vampire sparkles in the sun anyway?

British Airline Says Yes to Sexism

Holy crap. (Bangs head on wall).

Christian stewardess on British airline ordered to wear head-to-toe Muslim attire and walk behind male coworkers.

What is in the water over there?

Gay Reparations

Yet another request for reparations.

At least this request for reparations makes slightly more sense than requests by modern Americans for slavery, seeing as how homosexuals alive today have actually experienced the grievance the author of the article wants payment for, even if it is something far less severe than slavery. But hey, if the government starts shelling out reparations for gays, someone should start lobbying for reparations for the descendants of Irish-American immigrants. Or German American immigrants. I could cash in on either on of those. Or reparations for all women! Even more cash for me. My forebears had their feelings REALLY REALLY hurt - I completely deserve at least a few grand.

More importantly, though, it seems somewhat disgusting to try and use hardships suffered by gays as a means of money-grubbing. The author of the article even admits is would probably be impossible to calculate the amount of wages lost due to job discrimination against homosexuals- so why not demand something more important, like equal rights in all public spheres, etc.? The author also states that a monthly check will never be ample compensation for the most severe discrimination suffered by some gays; still, ALL gays should get some money anyways. Oy. I also do not follow the my-neighbor-just-called-me-a-fag-therefore- Uncle-Sam-owes-me-money-for-some- reason logic at all.

Another "What is Wrong With Europe?" Post

Another disgusting example of the whole defending-oneself-is-evil attitude, in this instance applied to a murder case. Of course, this whole thing occurred in Britain.

Family of father stabbed to death by three thugs is denied compensation... because he tried to fight back. And this is in a country that, according to the article, awarded a half million pounds to some typist who injured her thumb.

Make sure to check the comments...at least there are a few hearteningly sensible opinions to be found in there.

"Hate" Speech

I came across a post earlier at this blog, which consisted partially of the age old young-people-these-days rant. Unfortunately, I completely agreed with the author's opinion of my generation's aversion to anything resembling conflict/disagreement/feelings besides those of wuv and chumminess. The author states at one point:

'Young people have never read, or even heard of, Mencken, for instance -- and would find the idea of looking for a "new" one utterly incomprehensible. Mencken was clearly a "hater." Menken (sic) was "mean." And "mean people suck."'

I have had it with wuv and fwiendship. I have had it with "Aw, you're just a hater" and "You need to stop hatin' on (insert offensive thing here)". People my age seem to use these phrases whenever someone states a freaking opinion of any sort. No, we do not need to stop 'hating'. People call others haters in an attempt to insult them, but I've never under stood why being deemed a hater was a bad thing. If things get any worse, I'll start considering it a compliment.

Society needs its chutzpah back - we do not need any more conflict-avoiding, debate-averse, appeasement-promoting, all-fighting-is-bad attitudes infecting the minds of our youth (debate is arguably the basis of democracy, people). Especially since our schools seems to be their damndest to spread these pernicious attitudes. Or at least in my personal elementary/middle school experience. And it's not as if I'm at all neurotic or paranoid when it comes to schools...

They Passed It?

I knew the Anti-Defamation-of-Religion/ Flagrantly-Orwellian-Bill thing with stuff was on the table at the UN, but I guess my naive self was still expecting the thing to get voted down. But they actually passed the damn thing.

Evidently, the bill is not only Orwellian, but also prejudiced -

"India, which normally votes along with the council’s majority of developing nations, abstained in protest at the fact that Islam was the only religion specifically named as deserving protection"

Of course.

I urge all sensible people who read this to start 'defaming' as vigorously as possible. For example: those who don't understand the concept of freedom of speech and wish to impose respect for their religion on others should stay the hell out of free societies. Those who are at present doing exactly that in the name of Islam are doing a Bad Thing. Yes, I am equating theocratic Islam with Badness, hopefully thereby defaming it.

34% Believe Nanny State is Necessary

Strapped for time - read this and be ticked off by it.

Smart Children Are Too Stupid To Read

Nanny state...or schools? Hmm...

Since I'm writing this post instead of completing some homework that involves coloring things in, I'll go for schoolcentric rant today, I think.

I can't believe they're having me color things, damn it. Due mostly to parental influence, pretty much every course I've taken in high school has been Honors This or Advanced That or Ap Something or Other - this would lead on to believe that these courses would be more difficult than the regular courses, no? For the most part this is true, except when it comes to Honors English classes. In a continuation of a pernicious thought system I first encountered in elementary school, the Honors English class has, as of late, been treating me and my 'gifted' peers like babies.

Pernicious Rumor Believed by the School Board #1: 'Smart' kids enjoy being 'creative'. Sure, we enjoy being creative, in our own way, doing things we actually enjoy, but the school systems seems to think 'creativity' is tantamount to acting like a four year old. Instead of doing any writing, we color things; instead of contemplating Shakespeare, we are ordered to make up rap songs in groups about Romeo and Juliet and sing them in front of people. (During this particular episode, I jotted down some lines, shoved them at my groupmates, ordered them to sing if they were spineless enough to comply with the assignment, and wrote on the whiteboard while they were doing so that I was 'abstaining on educational principle').

Pernicious Rumor #2: People learn if they are put in classes where we are forced to do so-called 'creative' things. Public humiliation via rap songs does not teach me anything about classical literature.

Pernicious Rumor #3: Classical literature, especially Shakespeare, is far too complex for our poor minds to comprehend. Everything that we actually do read in Honors English is accompanied by long, tedious, completely unnecessary 'translation' spoon-fed to us by the instructor (I of course do not understand Elizabethan slang, but I can figure out that the phrase "In fair Verona, where we lay our scene," means the play takes place in Verona, dammit). This, I might add, comes a few years after a classic episode in middle school wherein the English teacher helped us dumb down the Gettysburg Address into a few short lines, containing words no longer than six or so letters, because the we couldn't possibly be expected to understand the original.

I wonder if the kids in English classes for non-'gifteds' actually, you know, study English.

What the Hell Happened to Europe?/Wilders Case

Why am I not surprised?

The country that barred Geert Wilders welcomes those with ties to Hezbollah.

A quote from the linked to article states: “Exclusion decisions are based on hard evidence not hearsay, and are targeted at those who seek to stir up tension and provoke others to violence regardless of their origins and beliefs.”

Uh-huh...so why was Wilders denied entry? How is producing a video that consists of video tapes of imams making speeches provoking others to violence?

Another excerpt, concerning the Geert-banning Home Secretary Jacqui Smith: "...she stopped right wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders from coming into the UK to protect ‘community harmony’."

Since when is an undefined level of 'harmony' more important that freedom of speech?

Impossible to Please

Damn it, us racist whiteys just can't do anything right. Looks like having Black History Month, as well as discounting corn bread, is now racist. I wonder if it's more or less racist than NOT having Black History Month?

The author of the first article does touch on some points I might agree with, but still I have no real problem with having a Black History month. However, the author coughed up a few infuriating quotes I simply cannot let go unchallenged. They concern -of course- that damned school system of mine:

"What little we know about our nation’s past has been transmitted by Hollywood, so schoolchildren know that the Pilgrims invented Thanksgiving, all Indians wore feathers and George Washington Carver invented the peanut".

"... giving us our own month of “Black History” makes matters worse. For one thing, it lets the academy off the hook, allowing textbook writers and history teachers to continue their superficial history lessons that gloss over Reconstruction and Jim Crow, ignore the 19th century’s black entrepreneurs and pretend that GI Joe was always white."

Good Lord woman, have you ever actually set foot inside an American school? Or have I just been living a bizarrely unusual school life? For years and years I have been indoctrinated with unremitting facts about slavery and Jim Crow and how the pilgrims screwed over that poor heroic Squanto. My present history class can't stop gushing about what a genius G.W. Carver was. 80% of my education concerning Vietnam concerned how corrupt rich whites left the fighting to downtrodden blacks. And, even more oddly, this same school system won't stop telling me that all throughout my years in school I have been indoctrinated with racist and overly patriotic propaganda, when the truth is that I can count yearly on having a somewhat moonbat-ish history teacher bemoaning the plight of everybody Whitey has ever wronged. Glossing over Reconstruction? I SPENT THE LAST TWO MONTHS ON THAT DAMN TOPIC!

People, slavery was evil, so was Jim Crow, and the civil rights movement is something this country can be damn proud of. Blacks have, historically, overcome massive obstacles fighting for equality. I recognize that fully - even if the media and the schools seem to want me to believe that I don't recognize this. Even if I've learned about nothing else in history class for the last near-decade.

However, on a side note, the ignorance of some of my classmates on topics of equal importance does frighten me on occasion. My present history teacher recently offended me greatly by saying that myself and my classmates were to young to remember either 9/11 (Not even eight years ago!) or the Abu Ghraib scandal. For the record, I can remember exactly what I did, saw, and even said the morning of 9/11, and I blurted out right there in class that "YES, we remember Abu Ghraib". However, I quickly realized that everyone sitting nearby was looking about confusedly, with one or two whispering, "Abu Gray-ub? What's that?"

Sad. Very sad.

An F in Psychic Ability Class

I've ranted before on the topic of the failings of my school system, but I also noted in the linked-to post with some optimism that the local high school I attend seemed many times more sensible than the middle school I suffered through (I think my entire anti-paternalistic attitude about government was brought about by that ugly uber-modern paternalistic place). I was waiting for my high school administration to do something to tick me off - it did not last year- so I guess it was to be expected that THIS year they start with the wackiness.

Most people get a trumped-up religious exemption to avoid health class, but I decided I would just be a...man? a woman?... and get the semester-long class over with.

Some points have stood out from the literature given to me in said class. Apparently, meat and dairy are evil, the only negative side effect of sluttiness is the risk of STIs, all alcohol consumption is bad, and believing that you have psychic ability is healthy. Seriously. We were recently given a questionnaire to evaluate our 'spiritual health', one consisting of questions such as, "Do you often feel an overwhelming oneness with the world, as if all aspects of nature were part of a single organism?", "Do you believe you have a sixth sense that allows you to predict events?" and "Do you believe you have experienced extra-sensory perception (ESP)?" The more questions you answered with 'yes', the greater your spiritual health (They were not all quite as bizarre as the ones I listed). I am happy to say that my score was very, very low and that the evaluation of the quiz deemed me as 'resistant to spiritual growth' or something like that.

At least I was surprised by the method of ticking-offing the school used against me this time. I went into health class expecting to be lectured about condoms and about my being a fat, unhealthy American that eats to much junk food - turns out I'm an underweight, spiritually dead American that eats to much fruit (?). Variety is the spice of life, no?

"Post" Racial America Reaches New Heights of Ditzy Racism

Oh good God. Michelle Obama may get a formal appeal filed against her office by the Black Artists Association for wearing clothes designed by Asian and Cuban designers (Because Asians and Cubans are not black, of course). As this article illustrates, America is in no way becoming a 'post-racial' society but an overwhelmingly race-conscious one. As stated in the comments, why should anyone choose their clothes based on the race of the designer? If we were truly past racism, people, we wouldn't even think of race when it came to choosing gowns for the Inaugurational balls - or people for jobs, students for colleges, etc. Bah, I say. Bah!

Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders case? You should have heard about it - and probably have - but in case you haven't,read about it here and then come back and humor me while I rant.

I've just about had it trying to use logic against Europe/Canada. They've tossed essential freedoms out the window and they seem to be damn proud of it. Here we have yet another case of a white defendant being prosecuted for voicing an opinion by Nazis who go about accusing others of being Nazis simply because they notice faults in minorities. It no longer matters of those faults are there or not. Not that it should anyways, but this blatant suppression of speech, true or not, adds yet another dimension of skin-crawlingness the attitudes of these people. As stated in the linked-to article:

"Geert Wilders could be going to jail for making admittedly harsh criticisms of Islam that actually echo statements made by Muslims," To jail. JAIL!

So in place of spelling my arguments in favor of freedom yet again I will simply ask: Europe, what the hell happened to you? Britain- have you forgotten that the basis of the entire free Western system was founded by yourself? And now you have frikking Sharia courts operating within your borders? Netherlands- you drove Ayaan Hirsi Ali out? What the hell is wrong with you? Sorry to be crude, but I have also been wanting to ask all the Euro-Canadian fascists/dhimmis/etc. this for a long time - where have your balls got to? I know you had them at one point.

Inauguration Footnote: Bye to Bush

Another irking factoid that Inauguration Day has reminded me of must be ranted about. While I stated in the previous post how irritated I was at the media for falling all over Obama, I must also state my irritation at the right-wing attitude towards Bush here at the end of his presidency. Here's one example. It seems that that some right-wingers are so cheesed at the thought of an Obama presidency that they've grabbed onto the nearest Republican entity, in this case the departing Bush, and started wailing about how wonderful it is.

I consider myself conservative, and I'm more or less glad to see Bush go. I'm not really glad to see Obama become president either, but I'm not going to suddenly start acting like Bush was a great leader either. He's still That President who took us into another Vietnam-style war in Iraq, which has not been handled well, even if it has not been handled particularly horribly (in my opinion) either. He still ticked me off with the Patriot Act, he still refused to do anything to attempt to fix the immigration problem, he still said a lot of really stupid things during the 2004 electoral debates, and he's still a bad public speaker. And perhaps most importantly, he's still NOT A CONSERVATIVE. I don't give a damn if his party is the Republican one- I've said before that one of the reasons I dislike Obama is that he seemes to want to bring about 'change' by expanding/helping to enable Bush's big-government policies.

In short, I suppose, every politician out there sucks and nothing will ever go right until I'M elected president and everyone does exactly what I want them to. Happy Inauguration day, y'all.

Inauguration Day

Okay then, people, Obama is completely and officially the acting president of the U.S. as of today. The way the media has been spinning it, this is the only important thing to have happened in the world for the last two weeks. Oh, there may have been some tussling in Gaza and maybe a little teensy resurgence of the human strain of bird flu, but nothing worth covering, not when we could be dribbling endlessly about the Lincoln theme and the pointless attending pop stars and what Michelle Obama is going to wear.

Watching Obamamania spiral out of control in the last month or two, I've seen people trying to name streets and towns after Obama (Not only while the man is still alive, or while he's still done nothing as President, but while he was not even President at the time), hawk creepy commemorative plates, and more recently take a vow to be a 'servant' to Obama. Nice democratic sentiment, dipwads.

On a less creepy note, I found a funny article at The Black Informant that sums things up pretty well. Hey, we're already most of the way toward the Obama-infused school system the comedian imagines - my high school boasts kids nick-named 'Barack' and 'Obama', plus legions more who walk around in Obama T-Shirts sporting Yes We Can bags.

Scary Three-Letter Word

Great. Here we go again with silly atheists making a big stink for no logical reason.

The Pledge of Allegiance has, in the past, come under attack for containing the words "under God" - and now with Obama's inauguration fast approaching, a group of atheists is trying to get the phrase "so help me God" removed from the Oath of Office. One of them (Dan Barker) is quoted in the article as saying that the phrase:

"...makes those of us good Americans who don't believe in God second-class citizens. It's unfair."

I don't get it. How exactly does it turn non-believers into second-class citizens? Does it impose a religion on anybody? No, it's just a piece of text read out at a traditional ceremony. Does it somehow take religious freedom/freedom to be non-religious away from atheists? Again, it does not. It also does not mean the separation between Church and State has been broken - America still has no national church or religion, it just has a piece of traditional text.

Plus, you wouldn't edit the Iliad or some such piece of literature to bring it in line with, for instance, modern grammar, or PC prudishness, would you? While it may not be a famous epic poem, the Oath of Office (and the Pledge of Allegiance, for that matter) strikes me as the same sort of thing; you wouldn't want to change the way it was written historically, because it would no longer be THE Oath of Office. Especially since, you know, it doesn't actually oppress anybody.