No new taxes! Oh wait you are poor...never mind.

http://news.yahoo.com/gop-may-ok-tax-increase-obama-hopes-block-124016578.html

Okay so the Reboobicans don't want to let the tax cuts for the rich established during Bush's run expire because that would raise taxes. (Technically by the way, that is not "raising" taxes. It is simply letting the taxes return to their previous rate, but that's splitting hairs.) They say it would put harsh strictures on Corporations and Businesses and prevent them from creating new jobs, hiring more workers etc. (Never mind that corporate hiring and jobs actually decreased under these tax cuts) However, they are more than willing to let a very small tax cut that benefits the average joe on the street lapse.

Here we have proof that the Reboobicans don't really give a damn about the poor and middle class. They are only interested in helping the super rich because those are the forces that feed their coffers. Bush tax cuts cost the country billions of dollars a year with no evidence of any kind to show that it actually has helped do anything but make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

It is time that we stopped putting up with this crap and took the country back from the fat cats (Reboobicans and Damnocrats combined) and set things straight.

Of Reporters, Truths and Friendships...not nessecarily in that order.

This one is part musings on reporting the news and part supporting of friends. I have always believed that any reporter, no matter the venue, should always report the fair and unbiased truth as soon as possible to as many people as possible. Whether you work for a multi-national newspaper conglomerate or a small town paper with a readership consisting of people you go to church with on Sundays, reporters should always be the "Firstest with the mostest" when it comes to accurate and truthful reporting.

This morning, a reporter who I have the greatest respect for dropped what could only be considered a major bomb. He printed the complete and unvarnished truth about a major closing in his area that could affect hundreds of people. He sought to get this news out as quickly and as accurately as possible to as many people as he could so that his readers and friends could be informed of the event and maybe be prepared for it. He did this out of his incredible sense of duty to the truth and his admirable concern for the community around him. So how was he rewarded for this effort?

Well, judging from the responses when he posted the news on FB, he was berated for springing this bomb on people without warning. The overall attitude I got from the posts was that "Am I placing blame no, but I do think it could have been handled better and I don't love that I found out on facebook. I know you have a job to do but it just seemed cold" or "You are the Editor of the Wiregrass Farmer not Facebook! Bad timing and cruel! Printing the report in the Wiregrass would have been sufficient! Putting it on fb was not your job." There are more, even a few in support, but that seems to be the overall gist of it.

A reporter can never "handle things better" except by reporting the truth as soon as possible. Reporting the truth is always "cold." Even in a small community such as my friend lives in, a reporter cannot and should not let his job be influenced on how happy or unhappy his reports will make the people around him. He cannot shade the truth or even omit parts of the truth just to make himself popular.

Reporting quickly and accurately will always seem like "bad timing and cruel" because 9 times out of 10, the people involved in the news you are reporting really don't want the news reported. Whether they are the ones causing the news (In this case, the closing of a school) or the people being effected by the news (Losing their jobs, classes etc) neither side wants the truth to come out. One side is afraid people are going to be pissed and mob them and the other side really just would rather not hear the bad news until later.

"Printing the report in the Wiregrass would have been sufficient! Putting it on fb was not your job" is another good one and my friend's response tops anything I could come up with. "Putting it on FB is my job. I edit the WGF FB page. This is an extension of the WGF and a recognized part of the newspaper.

If I had put it on the Wiregrass Farmer website under the Breaking News category and tweeted it, that too would be part of my job. As to how it affected you and you friends, again speak to the MTC leaders." It is the job of a great reporter/editor to get the news out to as many people as possible ASAP and in this modern era, it is easy to push the news out to literally millions of people very quickly.

So even though my friend was only doing his job and doing it well, he is being berated for it. The things I have quoted are only the responses to his FB post. I can just imagine the phone calls, emails etc he is received and the "letters to the editor" he will get in the days to come. Still, I have no doubt that my friend will continue his journalistic excellence and not compromise his values. As I have said many times in the past, he is a far better writer than I and a better news reporter than I could ever be.

As a closing note (B flat), think on this. In the future, when you read in your newspaper, E-paper etc an article by a reporter who reports the truth, no matter how painful it is, instead of griping because you didn't want to hear the news give that reporter a mental pat on the head. Better yet, send a letter to the editor saying thank you.

Whatever happened to Customer Service?

Okay, most of you probably don't know this, but I am an Ass, A Jerk and even a real Neener at times. Generally this only occurs when something really honks me off. It can be anything from some stupid peeples article I read or the actions of some idiot I meet out and about. I generally try to reserve these snarky moments for times that truly call for them. Whether I succeed most times is anyone's guess. However, every now and then something happens that truly, truly PISSES me off and I feel the need to vent. This, in case you haven't guessed yet, is one of those times. So bear with me while I vent.

Yesterday afternoon around 6-ish, I called our pharmacy in the Russell Parkway Krogers to get refills on my insulin, one of my wife's meds and my test strips. I told the man on the phone that I would be by to pick it up in the morning. He said that was fine and we ended our little chat. Now, today around 4-ish, my wife drops by said pharmacy on the way home from work to pick up our prescriptions and is told that, not only are they not ready yet, but she will have to wait till 7 to get them. When she complains, they revise their estimate to 5:30.

Now when I go back out in the rain to pick up our prescriptions at 5:15 or so, I politely inquire as to why we had to wait TWENTY FOUR HOURS to get our prescriptions filled. I was a little miffed since I was directly behind a lady who had just dropped hers off (Saw her do it) and she was told that there would be a 30 minute wait. Now instead of being apologetic or even polite, the ladies in the pharmacy get a really serious attitude and inform me that it wasn't their fault because the tech who took my order had set it to be filled at SEVEN PM that evening. Now keep in mind, I told the tech on the phone that it'd be picked up in the morning and he agreed. I was not told 7pm.

So then, to top things off, when I finally get my prescriptions, the tech lady taking my money informs me that the needles that I use to take the insulin are out of stock and they will have to order me more. Now besides the fact that I cannot take insulin without the needles, why didn't they tell me this half an hour before? Better yet, why didn't they tell my wife that when she was there an hour before? So I am forced to choose from having to drive across town to get needles or wait to get some tomorrow. Since I had a couple of needles left from the last box and really didn't feel like driving, I said to go ahead and rush order them for tomorrow.

Now what really honked me off wasn't the mistakes they made or even the wait. What pissed me off was their attitude. From all three women, I got the attitude of "We didn't mess up, you did." and "Well that's not our problem." A simple "I'm sorry Sir we made a mistake" or a "I'm sorry for the trouble Sir." would have done wonders for my anger management issues. Instead they get all snarky and royally cheese me off.

Customer service is a dying art form caused by so many people not giving a damn. It's time we stopped taking crappy service and bad attitudes and reminded these people that we basically pay their salaries. That is what the SIOTBAA Society is all about. Come on folks!

Define Unnatural?

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-bachmann-faith-20110808,0,2495054.story Mighty Bachmann is at it again and in her usual fine form. As I have stated in the past, I don't like this woman. I think she is a lying twit with less than two brain cells to rub together and her very presence on the campaign trail is setting back women at least 100 years, but believe it or not, this rant isn't about Bachmann, its about a word and how it is defined.

I have heard time and time again, Homosexuality (Hells most forms of sexuality that don't involve one man/one woman in the classic position) as "unnatural." The pastor in the above article uses it and hundreds of people have used it and I have to wonder exactly what they mean when they use it.

Dictionary.Com defines Unnatural thus,
unnatural
[uhn-nach-er-uhl, -nach-ruhl]   Origin
un·nat·u·ral/ʌnˈnætʃərəl, -ˈnætʃrəl/ Show Spelled[uhn-nach-er-uhl, -nach-ruhl] Show IPA
adjective
1.contrary to the laws or course of nature.
2.at variance with the character or nature of a person, animal, or plant.
3.at variance with what is normal or to be expected: the unnatural atmosphere of the place.
4.lacking human qualities or sympathies; monstrous; inhuman: an obsessive and unnatural hatred.
5.not genuine or spontaneous; artificial or contrived: a stiff, unnatural manner.

So according to these definitions, Unnatural can be simply defined as something that does not occur naturally in the world around us. So that means if Homosexuality is unnatural, then it cannot possibly exist outside the actions of men. It has to be an artificially contrived state, going against the "pure" world around us. Whelp, if that is the argument that Bachmann and her ilk are using then they are way off base.

Homosexual activity exists aplenty in nature. Our closest genetic cousins the Apes and Chimps do it all the time. When a friendly female isn't around they engage in very "friendly" activities to pass the time. (BTW this one can also be used in support of masturbation if one so chooses.) Moving further away, we have the Dolphins who have been observed to engage in just about every sort of sex known to man including multiple partners and homosexuality. There are more examples, but those two alone disprove Bachhy's point.

Now, when I have pointed these things out in the past, many people have used the argument that "These creatures are animals" as if to imply that simple beasts cannot be used to prove a point. Of course this one comes back to bite them because if these creatures are truly simple beasts incapable of making moral choices, then that means that their actions are the purest form of innocence. Thus making their "gay" actions completely natural.

Now I am not making arguments for or against homosexuality. The people that know me know how I feel on the subject. This is purely a semantic argument over what I feel is the improper use of a perfectly good word. Oh yeah, and the fact that Bachmann is an idiot.

Freedom for all, but not when we don't like you.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/herman-cain-backs-mosque-bans-152052930.html

Herman Cain, one of the many less than inspiring people attempting a run at the highest office in the land, has come out on the side of proposed bans on Mosques. He like so many xeno-phobic people argues that Mosques are breeding grounds for terrorists and that Islam wishes to use the Mosques to foist Sharia Law off on us poor, unsuspecting Americans. Cain also told Fox (Not surprised it was Faux News) host Glenn Beck in June that he would appoint Muslims who pledged loyalty to the U.S. Constitution--and conceded that we would not require the same pledge from believers who have faced past charges of divided loyalties in U.S. politics, such as Catholics.

Now I have problems with this. Besides the fact that the arguments people are using today are the same exact arguments people used to make about Judaic Laws, Protestant Laws, "Insert name of religion that we don't like" Laws. Besides the fact that this man and so many others want to demand that a certain sub section of Americans ie Islamic followers be made to follow laws that others aren't. No what bothers me most is this man, who wants to be president one day, seems completely ignorant of one of our most basic freedoms.

Freedom of Religion applies to every religion practiced in this country. It cannot be granted to some and not to others. It really is that simple. Making the argument that this Mosques and Community Centers might be used as training camps for terrorists or used for Unamerican activities is an empty one. There is NO evidence that Mosques in the US are being used on a grand scale as staging bases for the destruction of America.

Now some argue that some of the terrorists captured visited certain mosques both here and overseas. That's true as true can be. That doesn't prove that the mosques were their bases. That's like saying all Christian Churches are breeding grounds for Serial Killers because Jeffery Dahmer attended services once or twice. As far as we know, these individuals are the exceptions not the rule. When it is PROVEN otherwise, then I will gladly change my tune.

People argue that Islam preaches that it is the only way to Heaven and that unbelievers should be put to the sword etc. Since I haven't finished reading the Koran as of yet, I really can't say if this is true one way or the other. I can say that most of the followers of Islam I have known over the years were very peaceful and well educated with a high degree of tolerance towards others. What I can point out is that there are any number of points in the Bible where Christians show those same attitudes including wiping out entire cities because "God" told them these people were evil. (Not dissing God or Christians, just making a point that all religions since the dawn of time have preached that theirs is the only way and that all disbelievers are bad.)

So what it boils down to is simply this. Muslims have the right to worship how they like, where they like and when they like. They have the same right to build their Mosques as others have to build their Churches, Temples etc. It is guaranteed to them by same things that guarantee it to everyone else. Our United States Constitution. Freedom for everyone or freedom for no one.

Turn out the lights, the party is over

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/07/12/house-turns-out-lights-bulb-ban

Okay far be it from me to quote Faux News on anything but this seems like a fairly safe subject since there is no footage to be doctored or photos to mix up. I mean, even those dimbulbs (Get it the blog is about light bulbs so I called them Dimbulbs as a kind of clever play on words? Get it?) can't mess this one up. If it turns out they fabricated, exaggerated or other kind of -ated this report I will offer a full apology.

Now as my good friend pointed out when he brought this article to my attention, we are facing an economic crisis of unparalleled proportions where all attentions should be focused on keeping us afloat and our politicians have time for this crap? Still, let us ignore that little tidbit and actually focus on the issue at hand. Light bulbs.

Here is a fact, the incandescent light bulb, which has existed pretty much unchanged since Edison threw the first switch well over a century ago, is woefully inefficient. For the meager amount of light each bulb produces, it also produces a hell of a lot more heat. The average bulb lasts a few months then burns out and we have to run around in the dark trying to find another one. They use way to much electricity for the job they do.

Here is the other side to that story. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs contain some small amounts of toxic chemicals (although newer models are correcting that) and cost much more than a IB does. They are difficult to make in lower wattage and tend to be funny looking. (Always remind me of pig tails or curly fries)

On the other hand, they use far less electricity and tend to last forever. I have CFB in certain parts of my house that have burned pretty much 24/7 for 5 or more years. Sure I paid $6.00 for one back then (They are much cheaper now) but if you figure $6.00 for 5+ years that's about $1.20 per year. I can promise you that replacing IB during that same time would have cost a lot more.

Briefly, the new Next generation LED bulbs coming out have all the benefits of both IB and CFB with none of the negatives except for price. They are still very expensive, but just like CFB, those prices will come down in time.

What the argument seems to be is, "Why should we change? This (insert product here) works just fine and has worked just fine since I was a boy/girl." Our Poli-tickans are stopping progress that will save money, energy and resources simply because they grew up with the IB illuminating their school books. Well, it is time to start changing and start rethinking. You can't stop progress, not matter how hard you try. The best you can do is slow it down a little. Green it and mean it, guys!

Don't pay 'em!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-cannot-guarantee-benefits-checks-paid-debt-deal-183025203.html

Obama and other key figures have warned that if an agreement on the budget cuts/tax increase/debt ceiling isn't reached in time that Social Security checks and other forms of assistance won't be paid because of lack of funds. Some have even gone so far as to hint that certain other groups won't get money either ie Medicare and even pay for our armed forces and this (like so many things do) has got me pondering life, the universe and everything. After much musing, I have come to the decision that this is a GREAT idea! Lets not pay certain groups of people, especially non-productive groups that are worthless and a drain on the precious resources of our country! This will save us billions! What a clever plan! I am proud to be a part of this plan!

So here is what we will do. Come August, if a new agreement hasn't been reached, we stop paying the government! Cut out the fat paychecks to the White House, Senate and Congress. Cut out payments to all the benefits that they receive (Health Care, Retirement, Transportation, Housing etc) and just imagine the oodles of bucks we can save. Sure it might not be enough to balance the budget, but I can promise you it will be enough to make sure SS, Medicare etc get paid on time and maybe even enough to start putting money back into the SS fund that the bullies in Washington have so baldly robbed over the decades. It will certainly be enough to keep our brave men and women in the Armed Forces paid.

Now as an aside, let me state that I recognize Obama's statement for what it is just like I recognize all the statements made by the Damnocrats, Reboobicans and Tea Beggars (Thanks for that one Benjy) for what they are. All this flaming rhetoric is nothing more than posturing. As much as I would love to see us forced to live within our means by the Debt Ceiling not being raised, I know that it will be by the deadline because neither side wants to be responsible for the Fiscal Chaos that will happen if it isn't raised. The Ceiling will be raised, one way or the other and nothing will be fixed until everything falls apart and we are forced, like Greece and Ireland, to fix it.

I love this country. There is a reason why one of my nicknames used to be Captain America. I truly believe that the USA is the greatest country in the world and easily the best place to live. We can be a great country with great people in it. However, we can also be self serving, greedy and not too bright. This whole Debt Ceiling Disaster topic is an excellent example of that. One side blames the other. We blame the government. This disaster is always "their fault."

Well, it is time we all woke up and realized that it is not "their fault." It is not the Damnocrats or Reboobicans fault. It is certainly not the Tea Beggars fault, they just got there. Our money problems and the events leading up to them are everyone's fault. Yours, mine and every other person of voting age's fault because even if we did nothing to encourage this disaster, we sat back complacently and let it happen. Well, the time for complacency is over. It is time we stood up, took to the streets and tried to fix things. If we don't fix them now, our children and our grandchildren are screwed. Are you up to the challenge?