I Hate Cat Owners

...and keep your damn cats inside. I understand you're socially retarded and need a substitute for actual human relationships, but you're an inconsiderate asshole for letting your cats run around and crap in your neighbors' yards, sandboxes, etc. I hope you and your cats get hit by cars, struck by lightning, afflicted with chronic wasting disease, eaten by fire ants, etc., etc., ad nauseum. I hate you.

much peace,

On a Lighter? Note...

Any "man" who fake tans should just buy a cat and get the operation. You're not fooling anyone.

much peace,

Penn State is Superior to the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, from little country parishes all the way up to the Vatican denied, blamed victims, blamed the media and fired almost no one. They did that for over a century, at least. They transferred pedophiles around and provided them fresh kids to abuse. They paid blood money to have the cases hushed up, and the real power brokers like John Paul II, Pope Ratzinger, etc. etc. ad nauseum, had zero sanctions or penalties against them.

Penn State took a long time (13 years), but at least they've now fired the powerful men who averted their eyes and let the little children suffer. They were wrong, and they failed kids, but at least they're doing the right thing now, and through their actions admitting that the institution failed.They haven't blamed the victims, or demonized the media like Ratzinger and his cronies did. The Catholic Church has issued a few grudging apologies, but their actions show no willingness in the upper hierarchy to take responsibility, and they never will. They just blame it on the gays and let the cold heartless bastards who fed and enabled the pedophiles keep their cushy jobs.

Two failures: hugely different in scale, but both heartbreaking. The notable difference is in response, though, and the willingness of one institution to take action against those who knew and did nothing. The other, larger institution has not and will not do that, which is why they still have all of my scorn, contempt and wishes for fire.

much peace

Steve Jobs: The Perfect Deity for a Culture of Desperately Insecure and Superficial Consumers

Steve Jobs revolutionized the repackaging and delivery of more and crappier media to people with hundreds of dollars to spend on the emperor's new information skins. What a pioneer! He helped so many desperately middle class folks watch yet another James Cameron abortion on four-inch screens. He saved so many technologically indigent hipsters from the tragic indignity of not having wireless devices that doubled as  pretend beer mugs or cigarette lighters. Most importantly, he gave millions the opportunity to feel smug about their choice of meaningless tech. Steve Jobs understood the soul of America, and he exploited it as well as (if not better than) any soda company, fast food joint, auto company or clothing manufacturer.

The soul of America is as follows: The false expression of self and superiority through the mass purchase of whatever is best marketed as new, better and different.

That's it, peeps. That's all. That's what we're about in this culture. Jobs knew it just like Pepsi, Nike and BMW know it. We're all bleating little sheep whose sense of self worth is overwhelmingly determined by how much and what kind of crap we own. This is nowhere more apparent than in the tech industry, where companies fiercely compete for your attention(DD), while there are very few actual qualitative differences between products, the religious arguments of their respective cults notwithstanding. Lost in this fight for your superficial souls is the ugly fact that what skin you put on superficial inane crap doesn't change the fact that it's superficial inane crap. You're still an idiot for watching Avatar or Fast and Furious, regardless of the device on which you watch it, and you're still a rude asshole talking on the phone while your cashier serves you, regardless of whether you're talking on an iPhone or a Droid. You're still a smelly nerd for playing World of Warcraft, no matter what souped-up 21st century version of a muscle car you use to propel your nerd-dom.

Again, that's just who we are: chimps impressed and possessed by shiny new toys. Jobs was a smart chimp who did an effective job packaging new toys to play the same old stupid games. I'm sorry for anyone who dies of cancer, or of any other painful and incapacitating condition, but I'm not going to pretend Jobs was anything but the latest snake oil salesman with his finger on the pulse of our collective and vapid greed. Our desperation has become unquiet, but it's not much different that what Thoreau recognized. Good thing we have piles of morebetterdifferent crap to distract us.

much peace

Hey Old Bean

Just a quick shout to my pops. From a jaded kid who's never really believed in anything: I've always and without any doubt believed in you. Thanks for always being a rock, old man. 

much peace,

Let Me Be the Millstone

"Under the same May 2010 revision of the Vatican's sex abuse norms, acquiring, possessing and distributing pornography of children under age 14 years is considered to be an equally serious canonical crime that is dealt with by the Congregation."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110412/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_church_abuse?mwp_success=NONJS_POST_SUCCESS#mwpphu-container

Kiddie porn of children OVER 14, however, is not nearly as serious. Really, the Catholic Cosa Nostra does not consider any child abuse a serious issue unless it is publicized. This collection of diddlers and their enablers could not care less about the damage done to their victims. They only care about damage control for the Corporation if they get caught. You'll notice they say nothing about de-frocking the pedophile in this article. They also say Pope Ratzinger, the Patron Saint of Pedophiles, will have the final say on his sentence. These are bad, bad people who stay in power because millions of rank and file Catholic cult members care more about their brand loyalty than the safety of kids. If you identify as Catholic and give support and funding to these criminals, you're part of the problem. They get away with it because 800 million of you refuse to stop them.

I don't believe in any of this weak-minded imaginary unicorn bullshit, but the imaginary Christ I read about in the mythology would NOT be down with the current batch of wealthy overfed child abusers who diddle kids and skate in his name.

        "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble." (Luke 17:2)


I would be the millstone and the sea.
 
much peace
   

Eyes Without a Face

So France arrested a few women earlier today who protested the new veil ban by wearing full face coverings in public. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_france_veil_ban).

The root of the problem is the desperate need of weak-minded people to believe that some bearded sky fairy cares what they wear, or eat, or with whom they copulate. I'm not really comfortable with these women being arrested or fined, but I do think anti-intellectual religious devotion (I know, redundant) is much more dangerous. When I see anyone decked out in religious gear, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, etc., I automatically think: "intellectual inferior."

much peace,

Tough Guys R US

So a sperm donor and a cum dumpster were arrested on Friday, 04/01/11, for assaulting a 73-year-old school crossing guard in Lansing, MI. These walking billboards for forced sterilization ill-conceived a child who was in a fight Wednesday at Lyons Elementary School in Lansing. The kid is seven, and fought with another first grader. No big deal, right? Kids will occasionally scrap, adults step in, and the situation gets managed. In NightmareParentVille, though, it gets fucked up pretty quickly.

These "parents" drove their unfortunate spawn to school the next morning and encouraged him to get out of the car and beat down the kid he had fought on Wednesday. Being a chip off the old retarded block, the budding young sociopath did just that, knocking the other kid down and whaling on him. The school crossing guard, James Thompson, did what a grown-up is supposed to in that situation, and intervened to stop the fight. At that point, the stars of this sad drama, Darrell Livingston and Shareka McKinney, proceeded to boil out of the car and break a piece off for the people. Punk bitch Livingston punched the 73-year-old school employee in the face, and continued to beat him as he fell. McKinney, a dumb slut by trade, also punched Thompson in the back of the head. The two DNA time bombs then hustled their kid back into the car and fled the scene ("fled the scene:" not exactly a phrase associated with effective parenting). Thompson is ok, with only a chipped tooth for his trouble. The other kid was ok too, as most combatants in 7-year-old fisticuffs generally are. Livingston's and McKinney's offspring is, of course, royally fucked by both nature and nurture. I mean, bad genetics AND parents who clearly have no idea how to operate in society? Poor kid stands zero chance, and that sucks, horribly.

In addition to facing charges of assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, I really feel like Livingston should be charged with being a complete and total pussy. I mean, a 73-year-old? Really? If you're going to represent, please at least try not to be such a punk ass that you enlist your fugly lady for help against the geriatric set. Damn wannabe, gonnabe, cocksuckin', pussy-eatin' prankstas...

much peace,

End of Winter

The sun is a benison to weary nerves. It is good to stand outside as the day ages, and to blink into the westering light. Soon the city and surrounding countryside will swell full with warmth and greenery. Max and Will will stretch and crow, and produce Vitamin D at an alarming rate. We will sleep out of doors, and swim in the river, and eat food we've grown and fish we've spent hours catching, and I will revel in the life and growth of my sons.

much peace

Goodbye Mom

Mom went about as easy as a body can go, I guess, and was conscious and lucid for all but the very last. She asked to see my boys, and got to talk and listen to them for a little while before she began the last mile.

She was relatively pain free, and tired of the oxygen mask. She couldn't breathe so well without it, but a little bit of morphine here and there alleviated that discomfort. Her tiny little body, which had given life and comfort to so many for so long, was just done. She slipped pretty gently out of consciousness, and all the brothers and sisters sang and talked and prayed her to sleep. We got quiet at the end, and kept vigil while her breathing slowed, and while the pulse at her neck weakened and finally stopped. Everybody cried some, and I was a big bawl-baby myself, but I'm fiercely glad that my mom kept her sovereignty to the end, and drew her lines where she did. I'm also glad that my kids' first experience with death was with a woman as brave and as dignified as my mom, and with a family as large, loving and unabashedly emotional as mine. Her whole life, my Mom gave, and gave, and gave. Even in dying she had gifts and lessons to give. I'm richer for it. So thanks, and goodbye, mom. I hate that you had to go, but I'm glad you're free.

much peace,

Bike Commuting

There were geese in the creek today, and a mallard couple, and a small mammal of some sort disturbed the surface as it swam. There was also some resilient ice in one of the drainage pipes, and the water was chilly blue-green.

much peace,

Abracadabra

So this talking snake in a tree told me that Xenu, the Director of the Intergalactic Federation, knocked up this chick who swore up and down she was still a virgin. This was AFTER this crazy bearded guy with a magic hammer caused thunderstorms all over Norway, and some other cat in the desert said it was okay to kill all the infidels, a position that met with serious objection from folks who avowed and averred that THEIR bearded sky fairy had Chosen only them for that luscious desert. Then Aslan gave Prince Adam this magic sword and he and MacGuyver hooked up with Wonder Woman and Batman and made some crazy looking kids that Abraham was quite ready to kill until Buffy and Angel convinced him to change his ways.

Now, which of these things can be proven by actual empirical observation?

Answer: None.

Have a nice day. Abracadabra.