Why I'm Pissed At Obama

Now, I know there's a lot of tension in the air about Obama. There are a lot of people throwing around the word "racism" like it's a catch all just because the man is black. I would like to clarify. There is a very particular reason I'm ticked with him.

At the end of the day, it's not because his first 100 days were not magic. It's not because "I'm not giving him enough time" as many Obama-ites are usually quick to claim. In fact, I'm not mad at what he hasn't done. I'm mad at what he HAS done. It't the backdoor politics. While Americans are all on the edge of breakdown over the economy, world affairs, and, now, Swine flu, he keeps sneaking things past us. The Auto Weapons Ban was put in front of congress with almost zero news coverage. It was shot down a few days later. He has, despite thorough campaign promises, actually EXPANDED the Bush-era Warrantless Wire-Tapping program, as opposed to cutting it back. Now, I understand, once you're actually IN the oval office, things change. New information is available, things are different. But, he didn't mention it. No statement was issued. Nothing. He merely pulled a 180, kept going, and acted like nothing was wrong.

I don't trust him. And that's why I'm mad. He worked very hard during the election to try to SEEM trustworthy, and he is failing to deliver on that trust. I'm mad, a lot of other people are mad, and you should probably be mad too.

Two Party Politics

Over the past few weeks, I've begun reflecting on my political stance in modern America. For a while, I considered myself Democratic. Then, very briefly, I considered myself conservative. And yet, I never really could bring myself to agree wholeheartedly with either side.

It was at this time the problem finally dawned on me. It's a concept that I've thrown around a few times, but never really got my brain behind. The fact is, the parties are pure bullshit. All they do is keep us, as American citizens focused on the wrong things. Most Americans spend so much time demonizing and fighting the opposition party, they usually miss the issues. Barrack Obama was not elected because he had values and opinions that most Americans agreed with. He was elected because he disagreed with the rival party, whom we were all pissed at.

The media serves a role in this. I have lost all faith in the media. Too many times, I have seen genuine news butchered in an attempt to send a message. Fox cannot understand liberal ideas, and CNN is the same for conservatives. This latest travesty, the Tax Day Tea Parties, I sat and watched as both sides drew their lines, CNN calling it an "Anti-Obama, Anti-Democrat" rally, often painting them as near-white supremacist rallies. Meanwhile, Fox was glad to take any and all credit for the events. Credit that was not due.

The fact is, the media has gladly stepped up to the plate to become that magical tool, always willing to further THEIR ideals, and THIER opinions, rather than objectively reporting the news. It's long past time for individuals to stand up, and try to take back what America should be. Honest new reporting, Politicians who serve, rather than profit, people who are free to pursue thier happiness and goals in life, without the constant worry of what the "other party" is going to do, and whether or not the current policies are what they want.

The government is long past the point of serving the American people. They, for some reason, believe that we serve them. That, just because we elected them, all thier actions are beyond reproach. This is not true. They serve us; they serve our wishes; they serve the people. We are the people, of the United States of America. It's high time someone pointed that out to them.

Where's the Exit for "Moral High Road"?

It seems that life is a choice between your soul, and yourself. We've all heard the phrase "Taking the moral high road", meaning, we take the harder, but more decent, choice. But it's occurred to me... Most of the time, that choice isn't as clear and blatant as it's believed to be. There's a reason it's the "hard choice". Usually, you have to decide: Do you want to be kind, or do you want dignity. Do you want to be the nice guy, or do you want to take the cake? Well, the fact is, you can't ever do both.. you can't only have a slice of cake, and still be a nice person. Every time, you have to choose. Every time, you have to decide.. does honesty really mean that much to me? Do I really need any of this more than that guy over there?

And the thing that scares me? I don't think I'll ever be able to choose myself.

My First Rant (was deleted, now replaced)

PC. A very simple term. Political Correctness is a concept designed to provide a safe, unoffensive environment to others. And, quite simply it is destroying our country. It falls along the lines of immunities to diseases. You have to be exposed to something, before you gain the capability to become immune to it. And, partially, this is what political correctness does. But, there is something about political correctness that is worse. Because, while with an illness, you lose the immunity to just that specific disease. With PC, you not only cannot handle certain terms, phrases, whatever, but you come to expect that others will help propagate it. In layman's terms, you come to expect that no one will ever offend you, and they're the one who is wrong, just for offending you. That's a fucking problem. Yes, I understand that it is polite to try to avoid subjects that may or may not upset someone. But when the ones offended expect us to change, just to fit them? That just doesn't work. It saddens me to live in a world where the KKK and Nazi marches are constitutionally protected, but some groups want to "balance things" by putting creationism in school, or remove the pledge of allegiance from schools.
And the pledge of allegiance? (Don't mind my lack of sticking to a thought, I wander) People get so upset about "under god" thing. Even if you don't believe in god, just the phrase itself is a powerful symbol. Just don't make the pledge mandatory. And maybe explain it to kids, just say, "yes, you might not believe, but millions have died, killed, and started wars over god. Accept it at least as a symbol of your loyalty." That's what the damn pledge is supposed to mean. Who gives a fuck if you believe in god, you live in America, so you do like it, right? Ah... I digress..

Once again, I leave you with a thought provoking idea. Someone makes a joke, and it crosses the line of what you consider, "ok", and you're offended. You confront the person who made the joke, and explain that it was all intended in good fun, they don't believe what they said, and did not intend to upset you. Now, are you still offended by them? And, if so, how? How can you be offended by something that was not intended as such. Can you not be offended by something, unless it was offensive?

I'm a Classical Liberal

What's a classical liberal, might you ask?

Well, let's look at the Neo-Liberals of today. Most of them are strongly against gun ownership, many of them refuse to accept the idea of any human being dying of anything other than old age. They want everyone to live, and are willing to do anything to maintain that. These days, I consider my political options "Living with Christ, or Living Forever".

A Classical Liberal, on the other hand, like myself, is someone who just prefers to be left alone. I just want the freedom to do with myself what I will. If I kill someone, fine, throw me in jail. But if I want to go buy a gun that can fire 300 rounds a minute, I haven't done anything yet, leave me alone. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

And that's what Liberals forget. They are so concerned with making sure everyone in the world has their particular dreamworld fantasy life, that they forget that some people actually don't want that particular dreamworld fantasy. They want to do other things. But liberals think they are right, so they soldier on. Evolution needs to go away, save everyone. Animals are people too. Guns kill, not people. So on, and so on.

America's two party system is broken. On the left we have these idiots over here, and on the right, people who don't believe in evolution, and think Christ is the only option. Granted, yes, I'm pigeon holing. But that's just the problem. MOST people aren't like that. But were supposed to choose someone to represent us from these extremes, when none of them are good representatives of what 95% of us believe any more. 300 million morons, and we chose the stupidest of the bunch to stand up and take charge. I don't know how things got this way, but the fact is, it needs to change.

Yes, I, at first, jumped on the Obama change train. But now, it's plain to see, he's just another neo-liberal. Sure, he wasn't a conservative, which we were all tired of, but he's not much better, either. Just one extreme to another.

But, who knows. Maybe weed will save society. I hope I just get my World War 3, first.

On Religion

I've never really been religious.

Growing up, my parents were decent enough to let me forge my own path. They let me go to church with my friends when I felt left out, and let me stop when I didn't like it. They never read me a bible, though they gave me one once, and there were always a few in the house. It was always a self-motivated search, on my part.

Over the years, I've shifted back and forth across the spectrum, from atheist, to Christian, and even into Buddhist territory. Eventually, I came to a conclusion. Once again, humans are all wrong. Most religions are based on attempts to explain the mysteries of the universe, just like science. And, once again, we've gotten carried away. Somehow, a 4000 year old explanation for the sun rising became this monstrous, gargantuan thing, controlling the views and minds of billions of people.

And that's not to say I'm against religion. I'll be the first to admit that I think there is a world beyond what we can immediately perceive, and that I still don't know anything about dying. My problem is when people start organizing it. People begin taking what you're saying as the definitive truth, rather than a theory. And, if you haven't noticed yet, most people are pants-on-head-retarded. Which leaves you with Muslims blowing themselves up for virgins they know are going to be there, Buddhist monks lighting themselves on fire to make a point, and Christians camping out funerals just to let the surviving family members know that God hates them and their deceased loved one.

It is a folly of human arrogance to believe that we are somehow capable of knowing the answers of life's greatest mysteries. Hell, how many bible-thumpers out there use "God's will is mysterious" as a cop-out move? Then stop assuming you know his presence, being, form, function, intentions, love, rewards, punishments, son, or, even his existence. I'm just saying.

The fact is, life is a mystery. A mystery only overshadowed by the great mystery of death. Many atheists believe that humanity will move on when they accept that religion is accepted as an archaic mechanism, and be left behind for physics. But then, quantum physics fucks everything up.

So, instead, rather than choosing a side, think on it. Because the more you think, the more you realize you don't know the answers of the world. And when that starts happening, you start figuring out what the questions are.