Hoist the double standard, Day 2: God only knows

     Whelp, here we are on day the second of my little serial rant about the lovely double standards that Americans seem to cling to.  Don't get me wrong, this practice is not unique to Americans.  Pretty sure some version of it is practiced pretty much anywhere there are people, but Americans often times seem like they went back for a second helping when God created everything.
     And speaking of God (Nice slide into the subject huh?), today's talk is about Religion.  (Before I go any further let me state plainly that I am a Christian so this isn't some Atheist Basher speaking here.  Also a healthy chunk of Christians do not fit into this rant.  As usual, my words are aimed at the bad eggs that taint any good thing.)  Okay, onward and downward in a never ending spiral.

      

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

     The US was founded on the very basic principle of Religious Freedom.  Not "Freedom of Christianity" or "Freedom of the Religions that we personally like."  It was also founded on the most basic idea of a separation of Church and State.  We had already seen the fiasco caused in Europe when the Government made one particular religion the official religion and pretty much banned he practice of all others.  (Church of England anyone?)  We wisely realized that we couldn't have true freedom when we limited.  We even spelled it out in big letters in so that people would not get the wrong idea.

    Funny how people can ignore those big bold letters or interpret them in a way that is kind the exact opposite of what the word actually mean.  Over and over again, I hear Christians saying, "We should ban (Insert Religion here, but lets face facts, usually its Islam)."  Several states have actually passed laws that prevent Atheists from holding public office (Which once again, is pretty much the exact opposite of what the 1st actually says.) and several states have laws in the works that would prevent any Non-Christian from holding office.  Matter of fact, one of the big arguments against Obama is that he cannot possibly hold the office of President because he is actually a Muslim.  (He isn't by the way.)

     Radical Right Wing Christians want this to be a nation governed by Christian Laws and only Christian Laws.  They want only Christians to hold public office (Preferably White Male Christians at that.) and all the various cultures and beliefs in the Country to bow down before these Christian Laws.  The RRW Politicians scream against Sharia Law and Sharia Courts here in the US, but want Christian Laws to hold sway in courts.  When raging against Sharia Courts, they also blithely ignore that both the Catholic and Judaic belief systems have had similar courts and such for a long time. 

    We have a incredible amount of rights and freedoms in the US.  It is one of the things that has made us unique and powerful.  However there are forces in the US that want to take those freedoms and rights away.  They want to turn America into what amounts to a Theocracy where Christian Laws and Christian beliefs are the only ones allowed.  This goes against everything that makes us great and directly contravenes what the Founding Fathers believed.  It also insults every single man and woman who gave their lives to defend ALL of our rights.

     In closing, maybe you don't agree with the guy down the street who believes in X Religion.  Maybe you think that Pastafarism is ridiculous.  Maybe you think that anyone who believes that Scientology is more than a little off.   That is cool.  You have the right to believe what you want.  However, you do not have the right, legal or moral, to force Your beliefs on people.  You cannot say "If you life in the US you must follow X religion's laws."  That is not how this country works.  You cannot ever have freedom when you oppress other people's freedoms.

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Hoist the double standard! Day one: Amma I right about your "rights?"

     Yesterday's post was the opening salvo on a week long rant about the double standards that a lot of Americans seem to have about...well just about everything.  From Legal Rights to Religious Rights, the good US of A seems to think that THEIR beliefs and rights far outweigh those of everyone else, especially the rights of people they don't like.
     Now, of course, what started this little rant series was the events that occurred at VSU where protestors performed the "unthinkable" act of stomping on the American Flag.  People all over the country rose up in righteous fury claiming that they didn't have the right to do that and they applauded the Military type person turned Porn model when she took the flag away.  They also cried out in indignation  when she was detained by the cops.  People claimed that the protestors had broken the law by desecrating the flag and that the nude model had just been doing the right thing when she had taken it.
     The only problems with this argument is that the protestors actually did have a right to do what they did and the Nude Model had actually broken the law when she stole their property from them.  I could go on and on about this but it has already been rehashed over and over again so I won't.  My Brother, Ben Baker did an excellent blog on the subject which I reposted here the other day. 
     I have to wonder where these righteous individuals were when US Military personnel were urinating on the Holy Books of detainees in Gitmo and various other Black Sites around the world.  I have to wonder where they were when a Baptist Preacher in Florida (Ever notice it is always Florida, Arizona or Texas?  Well almost always.  There was the recent Indiana Flap too.)  An even better question is where were all of these flag loving people when somebody decided it was cool to put the US Flag on bathing suits and underwear?  How is stomping on a flag any more disrespectful than having the flag jammed up your butt crack?  I'd think the latter is much more disrespectful.  Heck on that note, I have even seen toilet paper and tissue paper with the flag on it, so getting upset because someone stepped on it seems a little bit dumb.
     Anyways, I digress.  This rant series isn't about that one incident.  Over the next week, I will cover how strong and illogical the American Double Standard is.  How "our" rights are always important than the right of everyone else.  Be it religion, education or simply having enough to eat, America has a massive double standard that is almost as old as the country itself.  So buckle up and clench em tight, because it is going to be a bumpy ridge.

End of Rant\

Feed and Help Homeless US Veterans

Forget the Freaking Flag, save the people who defended it.

Help the Homeless US Vets

Forget the Flag, how about respect for the homeless defenders of it.

Trash Talk

     Pretty sure everyone has heard at least one version/side of the VSU flag debacle where a soldier turned Porn Model decided that Protestors didn't have the right to step on and destroy the US Flag.  I thought about writing a long diatribe about it, but someone more skilled than me did it for me. 

     The above blog is by my esteemed Brother Ben Baker and pretty much says everything I was thinking about saying and even a few things I wasn't thinking about saying in a very colorful and extremely cranky sort of way.  So read it and then buy the clue.

     For the record, I did a little research and visited 10 different websites that sold US Flags.  Of the ten websites, only two actually sold flags made in the US.  Of the other 8, 5 were made in China and 3 were made in Pakistan.   See as my Brother points out, people are getting peeved about the wrong thing.  Instead of getting annoyed that someone exercise their right of freedom of speech/expression, get peeved that we are EXPORTING the production of our national banner to other countries, one of which is a Communist Nation and the other one is a Terrorist Supporting state.  Better yet instead of sending 100s of thousands of dollars to a bakery that wants to discriminate against Homosexuals, send all that money to the programs that support the THOUSANDS of Homeless Veterans.  If you really want to show your support for the troops that you claim to respect, feed them and cloth them.  Help them find a home or a least a shelter from the storms.

     People in the US need to buy the clue and get mad about the important things.  In the end, a Flag is just a symbol and a piece of cloth.  If you don't respect and support the people who gave all to defend it, you really don't have the right to cry over someone else stepping on it.

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Constitution, you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Huh, yeah nothing can go wrong with this. Right? 

A Christian Nation? 

     So just so all of you are straight on this (pun intended), Oklahoma (OHH where the winds coming sweeping down the plains...Ahem sorry.) has passed a Bill that would restrict marriage (in the legal sense as well as the religious sense) to "people of faith."  Meaning that if you aren't of one of the approved Faiths, then you will be unable to get married.  This of course includes all of those evil nasty viscous Atheists who we know are out to destroy all that is good and right in the world.  (Waves at Mary Anderson.)  Even bigger, the Bill requires and ANY marriage licenses have to be approved  by a member of the Accepted Clergy before being issued.

     Just so you get the impact of what I am saying, REPUBLICANS in OK (Sooo not OK) have created a Bill that will eliminate the right of basically anyone they disapprove of to marry the person they love AND they want to put the Church (Pick one there are so many.  Dunkers or Sprinklers anyone?  And I am not talking about Donuts.) in power over the Government in determining who gets the right to get hitched.

      Now keep in mind these are Republicans or as I like to call them, Reboobicans.  Reboobicans claim to worship the Constitution and everything it stands for.  They claim to be fighting the evil Fascist workings of the Democrats (Damnocrats is my pet name for them.)  They claim to know the Constitution backwards and forwards and pretend to be its stoutest defenders.  So bearing these claims in mind, HOW THE FUGG can these morons in OK pass such a moronic piece of crap?

     Lets ignore the fact that Government controlled marriage (Not weddings, that is where the Conservative disconnect seems to be) is a right granted to pretty much everyone regardless of race, creed or color (Okay the gender thing is still ongoing, but besides that one).  That means if a man and a woman wants to get hitched, they can do so legally no matter which faith they are or what race they are.  If two Atheists want to head on down to the Courthouse and get hitched, they can do so freely.  If two Buddhists want to get legally married, they can go down and get a marriage license.  ANYONE CAN GET MARRIED!  But like I said, we are ignoring that one. for the second.

     Let us focus on the really scary idea behind this POC.  The fact that Reboobicans want to put Leaders of the Churches in power over Government Officials.  Essentially, they want Priests, Preachers, Bishops etc to be able to look at a couple's application for marriage and decide whether or not they can actually get married.  The really frightening thing about this is not that such a Bill was put forth.  There are a lot of nutjob fanatics out there who want to force their beliefs on everyone else.  No, the scary part is that it actually passed.  (Please note that it passed purely on Party lines so this is purely a Republican/Conservative steaming pile of poo.)

     Our Government was set up with the idea of religious freedom and a separation of Church and State.  Here is a quick recap of the 1st Amendment  since so many Conservatives seem to have forgotten it or misremember it.  Note the very first line.  Now sure we have danced around this issue in the past and probably will keep dancing in the future, but one thing is pretty clear.  Setting up the Clergy to have power over any function of the US Government is counter to the very basic tenets of what this nation was founded on.

     In closing, I want to remind all of the so-called Christians out there who are so eager to make Merrica a Christian Nation officially of one simple fact.  Be careful who's rights you restrict and who's freedoms you take away.  The time will come when it is your rights and freedoms are being stolen because someone else doesn't like the way you think or the way you believe.  Freedom has to be for everyone, regardless of whether or not you like them or they are meaningless. 

End of Rant

Iran Out of Letters.

     Yah know I been hearing a lot of fuss over the moronic letter the 47 Reboobicans sent Iran and I am not sure if what they did was treasonous or criminal or even that insulting towards the POTUS.  However, I do know this and it is a pretty obvious thing.  What they did was STUPID!!!!!!  In what may have been an attempt at grandstanding or an attempt to undermine Obama, they have basically plugged their own pooch.
     I mean, what they said about Obama's policies being overturned with the swipe of a pen stands true for any other president.  So if (and brother I do mean if.  Have you seen the list of current GOP Presidential Hopefuls?) a Republican does get elected to be the next President, his own party will have already shot him in the foot metaphorically speaking.  I mean what foreign power will want to negotiate anything from a Arms Treaty to the Powdered Doughnut Supply if in 4 to 8 years some other President can come along and eliminate all their hard work with the swipe of a pen?
     I get it, Reboobicans and Teabeggars.  I really do get it.  You are dead set on doing everything you  can to make Obama look bad.  Even if it is at the expense of your own party.  I mean your leaders did say early on that it was their job to make sure Obama was a 1 term president.  (I shift you not!  Here the link.  One Term President  Okay as a side note, a couple of weeks later, he did try to explain what he meant and for the sake of fairness I present that explanation.  Explanation (Sort of) Course to me, it sounds more like Covering his own ass at this point, but I let you my readers decide.) 
    Obsession and Dedication are separated by a tiny tiny line.  Loyalty and Insanity are even closer together.  If your obsession with destroying and mocking your opponent hurts only him him, all is well and good.  However, if your insane need to make someone look bad makes you look like a bunch of nutjobs who don't care who you hurt, then you only show just how far away from reality you are currently hanging out at.
     Hit Politics and Dirty Deals aren't anything new.  I am pretty sure Ogg told all the Cave Persons that Togg was dating a Mastodon when they were running for Cave Boss.  Read an excellent short story called "Counting Potshards" for an example of how the Ancient Greek did it.  Heck, I appreciate and enjoy in my own masochistic sort of way watching the various hit pieces produced by both sides during elections.  However the trick with trying to hurt or embarrass your opponents is to make them look bad, not you.
     The whole invite BiBi over to speak without informing the POTUS was childish and a little silly, but at least that left the GOP looking fairly good.  The leader from a nation who is nominally our ally came at your request and spoke words that made you look good.  Kudos for that one.  However, 47 of you (Several Presidential candidates, God help us all.) essentially told the leaders of a "terrorist" state that "Hey Dude, nothing we do has any real power over you!"  See all that did was make you look really really dumb.  (Also made you look like you really didn't understand how the US Government works since what you described isn't actually true, but we are leaving that alone.)
     In closing let me say this to all sides of the political system here in the US.  We know you are all about as dysfunctional as you can get and that you are more interested in making the other side look bad.  We get it.  Hells, even the most partisan and dedicated member of each side has to know it by now.  So fine, you would rather take shots at each other than govern.  All we can ask at this point is to at least make it entertaining.  Make it good.  Make it solid.  Fire all your cannons at the other side in a flashy show of useless fireworks.  Just don't shoot yourself in the face while you are firing.  Is that too much to ask?

End of Rant

Anti-Vaxx? Pro-Pain, suffering and death. Nuff said.

     So I was reading another round of Anti-Vaxx stories (I know I should stop, the idiocy can rot my brain.) and I was struck with two thoughts.  Don't worry, I struck back and a lively tussle ensued.  I escaped relatively unharmed.  Any ways, onward and downward.
     Thought the 1st:  I wonder how many of these rabidly anti-vaxx people take their children to eat fast food, allow them to drink sodas or even feed them sea food caught from the oceans?  Ocean Caught seafood contains massive amounts of mercury and other deadly poisons which have been proven to cause physical and mental damage when you eat too much and fast food/sodas have dozens of chemicals in them that can do harm (not to mention the fat and cholesterol in all those burgers and fries people eat.)  I bet the answer to at least the fast food/soda part would be..most.  So the idea you can rail against the "harmful" ingredients in Vaccines, but feed your kids poison is funny. 
     Thought the 2nd:  Anti-Vaxxers keep whining about how people mock them and no one takes them seriously.  They talk about how "instead of mocking them, doctors and scientists should sit down and try to talk to them rationally."  Well news break!  They've tried that, been trying it for years.  But Anti-Vaxxers would rather get their scientific information from Celebrities, discredited Doctors and Doctors who kiss the butts of their patients by pretending to believe like they do.
     See here's the thing, roughly 92% of Doctors agree that Vaccines are safe to get and serve a incredibly important purpose.  (You know, to keep people from dying?)  Think about that, 92%.  Anti-Vaxxers would have you believe that those 92% are in the pockets of Evil Government/Big Pharmaceuticals and are part of some vast conspiracy to poison our children and weaken the world.  They claim that the other 3%  (5% have no opinion on the subject.) are the lone voices crying out in the wilderness trying to protect the world from evil.
     See, that is the problem with trying to reason with Anti-Vaxx people.  In their demented minds, they truly believe that there is a conspiracy to push vaccines, hide the side effects of the evil things and make everyone Autistic.  If you produce the vast (and I do mean VAST) amount research conducted by thousands of researchers around the world that disproves their paranoia, they brush it off as part of the conspiracy.  (Interestingly enough, this process is practically identical for Climate Change, but that is another blog entirely.)
     So, I for one am perfectly willing to sit down and talk rationally about vaccines.  I am willing to discuss their RARE side effects which can include death, brain damage and organ damage.  I am willing to also point out that the diseases they defend against have much more frequent and just as horrific side effects.  I am willing to discuss the facts.  Note I said facts not BS inspired by one defrocked doctor in Europe or stories about how your neighbor's cousin's roommate's child got vaccines and got Autism/Lycanthropy/ADHD. 
     While Anti-Vaxxers rant on and on about "their right to choose," diseases that were, for all intents and purposes, wiped out are coming back.  With 100s of cases of Measles and literally 1000s of cases of Whooping Cough popping up in areas where Anti-Vaxx groups congregate, who knows what fun almost forgotten disease will make an appearance next?
     Oh and as a final note.  For all of you ranting that Illegals from across the border are bringing in these diseases (Not yet proven, but possible) from across the border.  Instead of using this as justification for people getting sick, don't you think the "fact" that aliens bringing plagues might just be an even better reason to get your child vaccinated?  Just saying...
      When all is said and done, Anti-Vaxxers are right.  They have the right not to vaccinate their children.  Yup and more power to them.  I mean the world is already over crowded so when all your kids start dying off from easily preventable diseases, it just means there will be more space for the rest of us.  However, your right not to vaccinate ends at your front door.  (Well okay, I will give you your yards too.)  From that point on, you are existing in the same world with the rest of us and some of us (For health reasons) cannot be vaccinated or (also for health reasons) have a severely suppressed immune system which makes us susceptible to illnesses.  You don't have the right to put the rest of us at risk by bringing your non-vaccinated children into contact with us.  So no vaccines, keep your kids at home and out of school.  Simple as that.

End of Rant