Selective Rudeness

     So when we arrived at the airport in DC this morning, we took the shuttle bus from where the plane landed to the main terminal.  (As a note, you know it is a big place when you actually have to get on a bus and drive 5 minutes to another section.)  Here we go to the rental car place to snag a car for our many drivings and house huntings.
     When we get there, we wind up third in line behind a White Gentleman, and a Black Family.  Now the man behind the counter is very nice and friendly to the White Gentleman.  The Black Family get to the counter and there are various problems with them getting a car.  (The exact details aren't important, just issues over a credit card/debit card and who is paying for what.)  Through all of this, the Black Gentleman speaking for his family is very polite and patient even when the clerk essentially tells him "Sorry, but you can't do business here" and sends him away.  On the other hand, the clerk was more than a little bit rude to the guy and really treated him and his family like dirt.
     Now once my wife and I get to the counter (For those who don't know, my Beloved is Black), the clerk has shifted attitudes once again.  He wasn't quite rude to us, but he was much less polite and much more brusque with us.  He used the absolute minimum interaction with us and I definitely felt rushed.
     Now maybe this guy was just nearing the end of his shift and he was ready to go home.  Maybe there was some nuance of his interaction with the second group that I missed that really peeved him off.  It just seems suspicious to me that this guy was really nice to the White Gentleman, very rude to the Black Family and semi-rude to the Mixed Race Couple.
     Of course, even taking that into account, his rude attitude to customers is simply inexcusable.  The guy's job is to interact in a positive way with the public around him and especially potential customers.  At the time his rudeness began, he was not yet aware of the issues revolving around the second family and even if he had been aware, he could still have been more polite.
     I know it sounds odd coming from the guy who has made it his job to be an Ass, but I feel if it is your job to give service to the public in any shape form or fashion then you need to do politely.  Sure, Mr. Smith might not be able to be a customer today, but he might be one tomorrow.  Also if you piss Mrs.  Jones off, she might tell all of her friends, "Lord of Mercy, don't do business with those folks.  They are mean!!"
     In the end, it is in your own best interest to be nice to all of the customers in your establishment.  It just falls under the heading of YNN (You never know)

End of rant

Safari so Goodie or DC Day 1

By God, those natives look like ants!

   

      After many hundreds of miles of exhausting travel over harsh, strangely fluffy white terrain, I have arrived at our destination with my faithful guide and helper, Paula.  After negotiating transportation with the native bearers, we pushed on into the interior of this dark realm.  My heart was pounding in my chest over the idea of the horrors we might see.

Good lord, it is huge!

    

      As I piloted our steed through the many twisted byways of this God benighted land, I glimpsed one of the local landmarks that so often enthrall explorers.  The massive spear shaped structure juts up from the soil and I was again impressed how such amazing creations can be made by such simple people.  My trusty guide, Paula informs me that is dedicated some ancient war chief who led his tribe in a great battle that was apparently fought over tea.  It must have been some damned good tea to spark such a great conflict.

Rough food, but edible.  Friendly native servers.

     

     We broke our fast at one of the local native’s eatery and then ventured further into the land in such of lodging.  Now we rest ourselves for the great coming adventures that loom on tomorrow’s horizon.  I find myself excited and filled with trepidation at the same time  So many others have attempted to explore these God Blighted Lands and either not returned or returned changed beyond recognition.  I only pray to God that my courage and will are up the task.

     I find some small comfort in the fact that I seem, as yet, unchanged by the previously observed effects of this strange, cursed land.  My intelligence seems undiminished and what little common sense that I can lay claim to remains unchanged.  I feel no urge to make grandiose speeches promising impossible rewards nor do I feel the urge to lie about things that even the most simple of men know to be true.

     The Two Dominant Tribes of this region show the horrible results of living here for too long.  Both the Damnocrats and Reboobicans seem unable to grasp the simplest of truths or accept responsibility for their destructive actions.  The Three Sub-tribes (Cantservatives, Liarberals and TeaBeggars) further show just how far mankind can be driven into the darkness of this place.  Hopefully, by observing these creatures in their native habitats in the days to come, I can gain insight into what causes these illnesses.

     So I sit here at our camp watching as Paula my faithful guide goes about setting up our rough, but serviceable living space.  I wonder if courage or utter madness has driven me to pursue this course.  In the end, will I emerge victorious or might some future madman one day find this journal along with our bleached bones.   Only tomorrow will tell.

In the Belly of the Beasts or A Not So Innocent in DC.

     A special nod to the great Samuel Clemens also known as Mark Twain for the inspiration for the second half of the blog title today.  If you haven't read his  amazing work, "The Innocents Abroad" then you should because it is a funny and extremely insightful look into the world of his time and the people in it.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innocents_Abroad is the information for it and if you have an E-Book you can download the book here for free or read it online http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3176.  I highly recommend it.  Of course I highly recommend all of his works.
     Starting tomorrow, I will be spending a week in our Nation's Capital, Washington, DC.  That's right!  The Home of Hypocrisy, The Stadium of Stupidity and the Capital of Corruption!  Now I wish I could say I am going there on some important mission, but in reality my wife and I are just going there to look for a possible house to live in after we move there in a few months.  However, this little trip has inspired me.
     So starting tomorrow night-ish, I will be posting at least one blog per day directly from DC.  No real clue what the subjects will be yet, but I am counting on the News and the Location to inspire me to new heights of Assdom.  I mean, I will be literally in the heart of the insanity that is behind 90% of the Shift that drives me nuts every day, so something is bound to happen.  If nothing else, I'll do like Twain did and do some sort of travelogue type thing.
     So hold onto your collective hats and headparts peeples!  Things may get a little bumpy, but I am sure that if we all hang on tight we will be okay.  Keep reading and for Gosh Sake, if you like the columns, please post comments in the Comment Section. 

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce," How hard is that?

How can we mess up your order?

     So I worked most of the day on the house, trying to get it ready to be put on the Market.  I spent hours cleaning and painting.  I would like to add that I did all of this on my 50th Birthday too.  So, after it was all done for the day, I decided that I wanted a burger and fries for dinner.  I hopped into the car, drove down the street to Wendy's and ordered a #7 which is a Triple Cheeseburger Combo.  (I also ordered  Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and fries for my wife, but that is beside the point.)  I told the person living inside the magic sign that all I wanted on the Burger was Ketchup, Mustard and Cheese.  I pulled through the drive thru, picked up my food and left.

     (Now as an aside here, let me state that I should have been less trusting and checked my order before I left, but I was tired, sore and hungry so I didn't.  So I do bear some responsibility for what happened.)

Huh, not exactly what I ordered.

     So I get back home and spend a few minutes feeding the Animules before settling down to enjoy my burger and fries.  Imagine my annoyance when I unwrap my Triple Cheeseburger, ketchup and mustard only and find a Triple Cheeseburger with EVERYTHING except (Fittingly enough) Ketchup and Mustard.  Yup, it had pickles, tomato, lettuce, onions and mayo, but not a drop of Ketchup.
     Folks, I know I placed the right order AND I know the guy who lives in the sign understood me because I could see my order on the little LCD order screen.  So how the fudge did they completely screw it up?  I understand the pay is crappy.  I get that you probably don't want to be there, but come on!  How can they possibly manage to give me the exact opposite of what I ordered?
     Ordinarily, part of the whole "Ass" creed, I would have trotted my angry butt back down to Wendy's showed them the offending burger and made them fix it.  However, today I was just to damned tired.  I cleaned off the offending greenery and ate my burger. 
     As I have pointed out so many times in the past, this ain't rocket science People.  You look at your order screen, make the order listed there and give it to the customer.  Simple as a hot apple pie deep fried in animal grease.  Do your job, do it right and move on. 

End of Rant

    

Out of Sight, Out of their Freaking Minds!

 

     Okay since my camera skills suck and the camera on my phone is a little ornery, let me explain that the above picture is of a stop sign that is part of a 4 way stop at the local Home Depot.  Someone apparently wasn't paying attention and rammed it hard enough to fold it almost in half.  Bit of a fender bender, but that isn't what this little rant is about.

     I had to make a total of three trips to the Home Despot today.  (Don't ask why, it is not a cheery story)  Each Time I came to this intersection both coming and going from the store, I saw the same thing occur again and again.  The cars approaching the three intact signs all stopped and waited for their turn to pass through the intersection.  Without fail (Well except for when I passed through it.), every car that I saw approach the damaged but still visible sign just sailed right through the intersection without even pausing.  

     (I can also add here that the second time I paused at the damaged sign, the lady behind me actually blew her horn to try to make me move.)

     Now folks, even in the fuzzy picture above, it is pretty obvious that there is a stop sign there.  A wounded, badly bent one, but a STOP sign all the same.  It even has three identical siblings set at equal distances on all sides.  Anyone with any common sense would know that this was still a 4-way stop even with the damaged sign.  (Course one of the things my Daddy always told me was "Bobby, Common Sense Ain't.")

     All of those drivers knew they were in the wrong.  They knew they were breaking the laws of the road.  They would have been peeved as Hell if someone from the other sides (After pausing like they were supposed to.) had pulled out and hit them because they decided not to stop.  And given Human Nature, the Non-Stopping Person would have probably blamed the person that actually obeyed the law.

     So I am forced to ask, "Are they stupid, unobservant or uncaring?"  (Okay so I wasn't technically forced, but I asked anyway)  I will leave it to my readers to decide.

End of rant

The only thing constant is Change and Bigotry

     So a couple of Facebook posts last night sparked this rant and one today really fueled it up.  All three dealt with Same Sex Marriages and the consequences of it. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/health/american-academy-of-pediatrics-backs-gay-marriage.html

http://news.yahoo.com/5-scientific-reasons-gay-parents-awesome-111132528.html

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/watch-12-year-old-steals-the-show-at-rhode-island-same-sex-marriage-debate/politics/2013/03/22/62985

     Those are the three articles that got me thinking.  Despite what you may be thinking, this isn't my usual Same Sex/LGBT "Get over it!" Speeches where I go on and on about how it is all going to happen whether you like it or not type rant.  I am currently letting that Dead Equine recover from being beaten with a stick.  Nope, this one is a little more Historical (Hysterical?) in nature.

     I find it absolutely freaking hilarious that all of these "Gays shouldn't be allowed to marry/Gays Marriage is a threat to traditional marriage" types are blind to a couple of facts.  They go on and on with Diarrhea of the Mouth screaming about how Traditional Marriage is a sacred pact between one man and one woman and that is how it has ALWAYS been.  They froth and moan about how Same Sex Families harm the child and only a "traditional family" can properly raise a kid.  Sometimes it almost makes me want to just put the poor Schmucks down to cure their misery.

     While they scream and preach, they forget history.  Fer instance, "traditional marriage" ain't always been what they imagine it to be.  I mean, all you got to do is look at the Bible (You know, the book that so many people love to use to condemn SS/LGBT relationships.  How many wives did old Solomon have?  How many concubines did a lot of the Biblical A-listers have?  

     But wait, many say that doesn't count because it is ancient history.  They speak of more modern definitions as put forth by such sources as the Catholic Church etc.  Course then they tend to ignore how much "traditional marriage has changed" even in that relatively short time.  Twern't that long ago that Black People weren't allowed to marry at all.  Even more recently (and I do mean recently in some states) Inter-Racial Marriage was illegal because it went against traditional marriage.  Traditional Marriage is a concept that is constantly evolving not the rock solid bulwark that so many like to claim.

     And of course, the big uproar running about now is Same Sex Families.  People claim that SS couples cannot properly raise a child.  They say that only a "proper" marriage between a man and a woman consisting of the child's biological parents can properly raise a child.  Barring that ideal, the kid should at least have a Male and Female type family.  They claim (without much evidence) that children raised by SS families are somehow at a disadvantage and even that it is a form of child abuse.

     Moving back to history, you could find every single Anti-SS family arguments out there and compare them to the exact same arguments that were used against Inter-Racial couples trying to adopt or Couples trying to adopt a child of another race not that long ago.  Hell you can even see the same arguments used for Single Parents trying to adopt an even shorter time ago.  It is the same pablum being regurgitated again and again.  The sad part is, the people upchucking the crap don't seem to realize it.  I keep wanting to hit them with a history book.

     I have very little personal experience with SS families.  My Bud, JM proudly tells everyone that she has two Moms.  She even calls them "Mom1 and Mom2."  She also has a Father that she adores.  She has been raised by her Moms since she was 7 and you would be hard pressed to find a better adjusted, intelligent young woman.  She is funny, creative and loving with very little of the Angst that I so often see in kids her age.  I realize that a sampling of one is not indicative, but if JM is an example of proper parenting from a SS family, then we need more of that.

     The world is constantly changing around us.  Beliefs and Attitudes shift like cosmic tides, but the vast majority of people seem oblivious to it.  They cling to their narrow viewpoint and believe that things have always been that way.  They shout their rhetoric from the rooftops in complete ignorance that it has all been said before.  It would almost be amusing if it wasn't just so damned sad.

End of rant

A Rant by any other name would sound...exactly the same.

http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-says-un-proposal-women-destroy-180243943.html

     Now this little rant is short but sweet.  It is just an excellent example of just how alike people are especially when it comes to things they are afraid of.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying Christians are women haters.  I am not even suggesting that Christians and the Muslim Brotherhood have much of anything in common.  I am just suggesting that when it comes to attempts to rattle their world, they sure do sound alike.

     Fer example, "The document includes articles that contradict established principles of Islam, undermine Islamic ethics and destroy the family, the basic building block of society, according to the Egyptian Constitution," the movement wrote. "This declaration, if ratified, would lead to complete disintegration of society, and would certainly be the final step in the intellectual and cultural invasion of Muslim countries, eliminating the moral specificity that helps preserve cohesion of Islamic societies."

     Sound familiar?  It should because all you have to do is substitute a few words here and there and you have pretty much the text book Christian Fear Rant about...well pretty much anything they are afeared of.  Don't believe me?  Watch!

     "The document includes articles that contradict established principles of Christianity, undermine Christian ethics and destroy the family, the basic building block of society, according to the American Constitution," the movement wrote. "This declaration, if ratified, would lead to complete disintegration of society, and would certainly be the final step in the intellectual and cultural invasion of Christian countries, eliminating the moral specificity that helps preserve cohesion of Christian societies."

     See now tell me that doesn't sound like any Christian Rant about Same Sex Marriage. Any Document put forth by Obama etc.  Just shows that paranoid people sound pretty much exactly the same every where in the world.  I really suppose I should find that thought comforting, but really I just find it kind of depressing.

End of rant

A Rant from My Brilliant Wife

"Every man in Air Force uniform ought to be armed with something--a
rifle, a tommy-gun, a pistol, a pike, or a mace;...Every airman should
have his place in the defense scheme....  It must be understood by all
ranks that they are expected to fight and die in the defense of their
airfields."
Winston Churchill, 1941


"I read this quote this morning and wondered if it applied to Americans.
If all Americans were truly patriotic wouldn't we all want this to be
true? We don't all qualify to serve in the military, but shouldn't
everyone aspire too? Furthermore, shouldn't everyone of us be proficient
in some way in defending our country? --A rifle, a tommy-gun, a pistol,
a pike, or a mace-- perhaps even as cyber warriors? Remember the Air
Force expanded its mission to Air, Space, and Cyber space."

     My amazing wife sent this to me this morning via E-mail.  She suggested that her thoughts would make an excellent blog topic, but I submit that what she pondered isn't a topic, but a blog unto itself.  So the above Rant comes to you via my wonderful wife, Paula.

End of Rant 

     I will add my thoughts here instead of the comments section where they would normally go just because...well its my blog darn it! 

     A lot of people will read this and think that it is a rant on gun ownership and gun control, but it isn't.  People love to quote the 2nd Amendment when it comes to gun ownership and gun rights, but more often than not they leave off the last part about a Militia and that is kind of sad.

     It wasn't that long ago, that every man, woman and child in this amazing country would be willing to grab whatever weapon was handy and leap to the defense of themselves, their neighbors and their country.  It was a matter of national pride that everyone stood ready to defend our lands from anyone who might do us harm.

     IMNSHO we have lost that somewhere along the way.  We are more than willing to let someone else fight for us and defend us.  A huge majority of people look down on being able to use some sort of weapon to defend.  It has somehow become Uncool to be able to defend not just yourselves, but your neighbors and friends.

     I love to point out that  Switzerland does not have a standing army, instead opting for a people's militia  for its national defense. The vast majority of men between the ages of 20 and 30 are conscripted into the militia and undergo military training, including weapons training. The personal weapons of the militia are kept at home as part of the military obligations; 
Switzerland thus has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world.

     To me, that is the way it should be here.  Everyone of us should be ready willing and able to stand in defense if needed.  It should be of pride and patriotism that we should stand ready to defend the Country that has given us so much.  Whether that is with rifles, handguns or a shield wall with pikemen standing behind it, as Citizens we have that responsibility. 

     But like I said, this isn't my rant.  Paula's wise words are the rant, I am just sticking in my two cents worth. 

End of...huh NVM

Guard your Entitlement!

     "Now, I don’t think that’s attributable to the fact that it is so much clearer now that we need this. I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement. It’s been written about. Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes." 

(Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act 

     For those who don't know the Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965 to ensure that all states did not use discriminatory practices to keep Minority Voters from rightfully casting their ballots.  Opponents of the continuation of the act object to Section 5 which requires certain States/Districts to get pre-clearance  before enacting any sort of voting changes (Re-districting etc).  They argue that even the worst violators from the 1960s and 70s have come a long way and no longer practice discriminatory techniques against Non-White voters.

     Now believe it or not, this rant isn't about whether we still need the VRA or more specifically Section 5 of the VRA.  Although I do have an observation on that after the actual rant.  No, this little rant is about how one Man can call ensuring that everyone regardless of Race or Creed has the same right to vote a "Racial Entitlement."

     The VRA wasn't adopted as a Racial Entitlement...well unless you are talking about the human race as a whole, then it might work.  It was created because a huge portion of our population was being kept from exercising their rights.  White people in many states (Mostly the South but also some Northern States as well) were using a multitude of things to intimidate Non-Whites to keep them from voting.  Ranging anywhere from a Literacy Test (BTW Being Literate is not required to vote in any election despite what a lot of people seem to believe.) to outright murder, these road blocks were almost impossible to overcome.  So the VRA was born.

     Even today, there are still forces out there that would love to keep others from voting.  One observer compared it to the "White Fear" that ran rampant right after the Civil War when many people in the South were terrified that the newly freed Slaves would suddenly run amok and take over everything.  

     In a loose way, I can agree with that.  The voting Demographic is shifting very dramatically and very quickly.  With more and more Non-White, in many cases Non-Christian populations voting in elections, a lot of people are afraid of loosing out to "them."  So, the VRA is probably just as relevant today as it was nearly 50 years ago.

     As I close this little rant, let me leave you with a thought.  The VRA was created to make sure that no Minority was forbidden the right to vote, but it actually stands for so much more than that.  The VRA is designed to make sure that NO ONE is forbidden the right to vote regardeless of who or what they might be.  With our Country's Racial Map changing so rapidly, Caucasians may well soon be in the minority.  Some experts predict that as early as 2025, Non-Whites will outnumber Whites.  So with the human propensity to favor one's fellows, wouldn't you like some safeguards put into place to protect your rights?  I'm just saying...

End of Rant

Really? He did not just say that...

     Okay for the record, despite what Reboobicans are claiming, the Big Budget Cuts or BBC are the fault of both sides of the Political Coin.  Yes the Idea did come from the White House, but the Pubs signed off on it as happily as the Dims did so IMNHO (In My Not So Humble Opinion for those just signing into this blog.) both parties should equal shares of the blame/credit for what is happening. 
     Now that being said, I gotta give Obama chops for having some serious spheres and also have to rag on him for not knowing his popular fiction.  I say this because of two comments he made today on the subject of the BBC and Sequester.  Curious?  Well read on, McDuff!
     The first quote of sheer Hutzpah is this one.  "A combative President Barack Obama blamed Republican lawmakers Friday for failing to stop automatic spending cuts that were to begin kicking in later in the day, calling the cuts "dumb, arbitrary."  I mean it takes some serious Spheres to call the plan that You came up with "Dumb and Arbitrary." 
     Like I said, yes the Reboobicans signed off on the Budget Cut Plan, but it came from the Prez's place of residence.  Don't get me wrong, I personally feel the cuts are both dumb and arbitrary, but if I had come up with the idea I wouldn't be saying that.  I'd be saying something like "Boehner is a Neener face or Reboobicans eat doggy poo."  I wouldn't be downing my own plans no matter how much they suck.
     On to popular fiction FAIL!  Obama was also quoted as saying, "He added that he can't do a "Jedi mind-meld" or use any "special sauce" to get Republicans to negotiate."  Now I am not even going to go into what kind of special sauce he might use.  This is a PG rated blog.  However, he gets a great big FAIL for saying "Jedi Mind Meld."  As any student of popular fiction knows, it is either a Vulcan Mind Meld or a Jedi Mind Trick.  Come on Mr. President, if you are going to speak Geek, at least get it right.
     (Course since one guy is set to direct both the Star Trek Movies and the Star Wars Movies, maybe Obama knows about a cross over that we don't?)
     I am not going to rant about the Sequester and its impacts on the country even though my family is directly effected by it.  I will leave that to more learned men.  (Get em Benjy!)  I will just leave you with the above silliness and move on with my life. 

End of Rant