If you even dabble in politics, I'm sure you've had a chance to interact with someone with a different point of view. It usually goes something like this:
-"Talking point!"
-"But...rhetoric!"
-"Buzzwords and such!"
-"Well you're just a stupid *insert political party here*. What would you know?"
Sigh. It's difficult to get involved in political debate when all you're doing is name calling and reciting talking points you've heard on the news. Not to mention the fact that most people can't figure out who is lying and who is telling the truth (pro-tip: they're all lying.) This is probably the biggest reason that people hate politics. With most political discussions, there is no room for actually talking about differing views points or why I believe one thing and you believe another. There is no room for facts. It's all about spewing your opinion onto the other person then calling them names if they don't agree.
Unfortunately, this is exactly why people should get into politics. It's important to be able to understand all the ins and outs (no pun intended President Clinton.) Get all the facts in order, but do NOT use the media to do so. All media is biased one way or another, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's important to read articles from varying opinions and make up your mind one way or another. One thing we should all learn, and teach our children, is not what to think...but HOW to think. That is the first step.
The second step is getting involved. I'm not talking about starting a political action committee or standing on the street getting people to sign petitions (not that there's anything wrong with that.) But the first, and best thing people can do to make a difference is VOTE. Is your representative in Congress not listening to you? Fire him. Now, it's important to make a clarification here. Our congressmen in the House of Representatives are there to listen to the voice of their constituents and vote accordingly. That's not what the Senate is for. Senators are supposed to vote based on the Constitution and whats best for the country as a whole. However, no matter what their position in Washington, if you don't like the job they're doing, remind them that they work for you. Write letters and emails. Call their offices. If you don't like what they have to say, use your vote and fire them. Many people try to call out the Electoral College as an obsolete voting system and blame that for not voting. No excuse. Vote anyway. And just to let you know, Senators and Congressmen are voted in by popular vote, not the electoral college.
Look, it sucks. There are days when we would all just rather not think about how the country is being run by people who might sell their vote to the highest bidder. Or vote to ban something then turn around sell the same damn thing on the black market (I'm looking at you Leland Yee.) Or maybe how all these people who are supposed to be working for us have no clue what the real world is like.
The system may not be all we want it to be, but that is all the more reason to work to make it better. We might not have everything just right, but I dare you to find a place anywhere else in this world you would rather live.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
A Reason To Thank Fred Phelps
My immediate reaction to hearing about the death of Fred Phelps, the leader of Westboro Baptist Church, was mainly thoughts I would probably have to confess for if I were Catholic. A lot of people have had the same reaction. Good. Good riddance. The world is a better place without him. I hope he rots in hell. I would be lying if I didn't admit I hadn't felt all of these. But here is something I want us all to think about.
As a Christian, I never, EVER want someone to go to hell. Everyone of us deserves hell, admittedly some seem to more than others, but we all deserve to go. It pains me to think of someone having to spend eternity without Christ. I understand why people hope this man rots. I really do. But we need to think about the bigger picture and remember that the ONLY one who determines who goes to hell is God himself. Let's leave it up to Him. Although I wish I could have seen the looks on Mr. Phelps face when God smacked him upside his head with the good book and yelled at him for doing all this in God's name.
Allow me to get straight to my point about all this. The only reason we should thank this jerk is because he gave EVERYONE someone to despise. It doesn't matter if you're a Christian, an atheist, gay, straight, black, white, brown, military, or pacifist. Everyone saw this man for who he was- a no good so-and-so who used the name of God to do whatever he wanted to do. This man brought us all together. He gave everyone of us a reason to stand together and publicly shame this man for the things he did. How many other times can Christians and atheists stand hand in hand and agree? How many times can we say we can stand in support of someone we may not necessarily agree with and say, "I'm putting our differences aside in support of you."
Perhaps, after the death of this man, it would do us all some good to remember how we felt about each other while he was still alive. Remember that other people might disagree or hold different beliefs, but what matters most is being supportive of one another. Let's all be the anti-Phelps. Everyday we live in love and understanding is a day that this man turns over in his grave.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
~1 John 4:7
As a Christian, I never, EVER want someone to go to hell. Everyone of us deserves hell, admittedly some seem to more than others, but we all deserve to go. It pains me to think of someone having to spend eternity without Christ. I understand why people hope this man rots. I really do. But we need to think about the bigger picture and remember that the ONLY one who determines who goes to hell is God himself. Let's leave it up to Him. Although I wish I could have seen the looks on Mr. Phelps face when God smacked him upside his head with the good book and yelled at him for doing all this in God's name.
Allow me to get straight to my point about all this. The only reason we should thank this jerk is because he gave EVERYONE someone to despise. It doesn't matter if you're a Christian, an atheist, gay, straight, black, white, brown, military, or pacifist. Everyone saw this man for who he was- a no good so-and-so who used the name of God to do whatever he wanted to do. This man brought us all together. He gave everyone of us a reason to stand together and publicly shame this man for the things he did. How many other times can Christians and atheists stand hand in hand and agree? How many times can we say we can stand in support of someone we may not necessarily agree with and say, "I'm putting our differences aside in support of you."
Perhaps, after the death of this man, it would do us all some good to remember how we felt about each other while he was still alive. Remember that other people might disagree or hold different beliefs, but what matters most is being supportive of one another. Let's all be the anti-Phelps. Everyday we live in love and understanding is a day that this man turns over in his grave.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
~1 John 4:7
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Redefining Feminism
Ladies, let's face it. We have it pretty good here in the US. We can drive. We can vote. We can work. And we don't have to walk around with stuff covering our faces. World War II brought to life a new side of women. Women were working in factories, playing baseball, and raising families by themselves while their husbands, sons, and fathers fought the good fight. The world realized that American women are tough, and so did American women. We started fighting for equal pay for equal work. We started proving that women are just as capable as men to be CEO's, senators, and whatever else we wanted to be. However, things are a little different now.
Women are now bombarded by talking points and feedback from feminists across the country. You can be whatever you want. It's your body- a man in Washington can't tell you what to do with it. Women are just as good as men at everything...and probably better. It all sounds too good to be true- and that's because it is.
It seems interesting that women are told they can be whatever they want to be as long as it fits in with what the hard-core feminists had in mind. Be a CEO. Be a senator. Run a multi-million dollar corporation. Get your masters degree. Get an abortion. Be and do any of those things. But the first time you mention being a submissive wife, or being "just a mom" all of a sudden they tell you you're not living up to your potential.
Take Candice Cameron for instance. It seems DJ from "Full House" is all grown up. She has been married for 17 years and has three children. During an interview, she said that one thing that helped her relationship with her husband was to take a backseat role in making decisions. She would voice her opinion, but the decision was ultimately left up to him. She has since been flooded with people telling her she has sent women back 100 years. That she's nothing more than a doormat. This just isn't so. It takes a very strong woman to voice her opinion but leave a decision up to someone else. We live in a society where women wear the pants in a relationship, then want to get out of the relationship because their significant other isn't a true leader. How can he lead if you won't let him? If you want to see your husband "be the man" then you have to give him that chance.
I have personally been pressured by society to get back into the work force. There's two different forces at work here. There's the group who think stay-at-home mothers are lazy and sit around eating bon-bons all day (I laugh at them). Then there's the group who say women who stay home with their children are wasting their talent and intelligence. We should be out there, leading. Proving to people around the world that we can do it. Well, even if I were to concede to be "wasting" myself, what better to "waste" it on than my own children? And no. I'm not conceding that I waste anything. My talent has always been being good at a lot of things. What better career field could there possibly be than being a mother? I'm a chauffeur, a chef, a laundromat, a nurse, a referee, a coach, a psychologist, a guidance counselor, a teacher, a judge, a personal assistant, and yes, a maid. YES. I am a maid. (Let's not kid ourselves ladies. We don't have to like the title though.)
My point is this. Who in God's name decided that the founding point of feminism would be to compare us to men? How is that empowering? Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, we aren't supposed to be equal to men? Maybe we're supposed to be...complimentary? Not quite equal, but just as necessary?
I challenge every single one of my readers to help me redefine feminism. A new feminism where we are no longer compared to men about anything. Where we can literally be whatever we want to be. Whether it be a CEO or a stay-at-home mom. Whether it be a single, working mom who does a great job, or a submissive wife. Let us no longer view ourselves as in a struggle to define rights for women. Let us simply look back at what we have accomplished, look at all that women already offer this world, and sit back with a deep satisfaction and say to ourselves, "You're damn right we can."
Women are now bombarded by talking points and feedback from feminists across the country. You can be whatever you want. It's your body- a man in Washington can't tell you what to do with it. Women are just as good as men at everything...and probably better. It all sounds too good to be true- and that's because it is.
It seems interesting that women are told they can be whatever they want to be as long as it fits in with what the hard-core feminists had in mind. Be a CEO. Be a senator. Run a multi-million dollar corporation. Get your masters degree. Get an abortion. Be and do any of those things. But the first time you mention being a submissive wife, or being "just a mom" all of a sudden they tell you you're not living up to your potential.
Take Candice Cameron for instance. It seems DJ from "Full House" is all grown up. She has been married for 17 years and has three children. During an interview, she said that one thing that helped her relationship with her husband was to take a backseat role in making decisions. She would voice her opinion, but the decision was ultimately left up to him. She has since been flooded with people telling her she has sent women back 100 years. That she's nothing more than a doormat. This just isn't so. It takes a very strong woman to voice her opinion but leave a decision up to someone else. We live in a society where women wear the pants in a relationship, then want to get out of the relationship because their significant other isn't a true leader. How can he lead if you won't let him? If you want to see your husband "be the man" then you have to give him that chance.
I have personally been pressured by society to get back into the work force. There's two different forces at work here. There's the group who think stay-at-home mothers are lazy and sit around eating bon-bons all day (I laugh at them). Then there's the group who say women who stay home with their children are wasting their talent and intelligence. We should be out there, leading. Proving to people around the world that we can do it. Well, even if I were to concede to be "wasting" myself, what better to "waste" it on than my own children? And no. I'm not conceding that I waste anything. My talent has always been being good at a lot of things. What better career field could there possibly be than being a mother? I'm a chauffeur, a chef, a laundromat, a nurse, a referee, a coach, a psychologist, a guidance counselor, a teacher, a judge, a personal assistant, and yes, a maid. YES. I am a maid. (Let's not kid ourselves ladies. We don't have to like the title though.)
My point is this. Who in God's name decided that the founding point of feminism would be to compare us to men? How is that empowering? Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, we aren't supposed to be equal to men? Maybe we're supposed to be...complimentary? Not quite equal, but just as necessary?
I challenge every single one of my readers to help me redefine feminism. A new feminism where we are no longer compared to men about anything. Where we can literally be whatever we want to be. Whether it be a CEO or a stay-at-home mom. Whether it be a single, working mom who does a great job, or a submissive wife. Let us no longer view ourselves as in a struggle to define rights for women. Let us simply look back at what we have accomplished, look at all that women already offer this world, and sit back with a deep satisfaction and say to ourselves, "You're damn right we can."
Thursday, December 19, 2013
What First Amendment?
I wouldn't normally jump into something like this so soon. I usually like to wait a few days and come up with a sensible and reasonable answer to what is happening. But this is just ridiculous.
Phil Robertson from the show "Duck Dynasty" had a personal interview with people at GQ. In that interview he was asked about his religious beliefs and what he considers a sin. He paraphrased a verse from the Bible which calls out homosexuality as a sin...along with being a drunk, sleeping around, and being a thief. The actual verse goes as follows,
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
It's not surprising that such a religious man would use that verse to tell someone what is a sin. It covers a lot. Now, Phil had his own sordid past. He was a drunk. He was a womanizer. He did drugs. He left his wife and kids alone for months on end while he ran from the law. That verse describes him too. The point he was trying to make is that we are ALL sinners. None of us deserving of Heaven. But GLAAD did not take it that way.
GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz released this statement.
"Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans -- and Americans -- who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."
I don't know why Phil saying these things in a personal interview is a stain on A&E but Alec Baldwin calling a gay photographer a "toxic little queen" isn't a stain on MSNBC. Why are some people given the right to say what they want but others aren't? The first amendment is for EVERYONE! It doesn't matter if what they say is what you want to hear. It doesn't matter if what they say differs from your beliefs. If you don't like what they have to say, don't listen. Turn off the TV. Turn off the radio. You know what? You should probably just stay home and never leave and never talk to anyone. At some point you might meet someone who differs from you ever-so-slightly and no one would want you to get offended.
Phil Robertson from the show "Duck Dynasty" had a personal interview with people at GQ. In that interview he was asked about his religious beliefs and what he considers a sin. He paraphrased a verse from the Bible which calls out homosexuality as a sin...along with being a drunk, sleeping around, and being a thief. The actual verse goes as follows,
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
It's not surprising that such a religious man would use that verse to tell someone what is a sin. It covers a lot. Now, Phil had his own sordid past. He was a drunk. He was a womanizer. He did drugs. He left his wife and kids alone for months on end while he ran from the law. That verse describes him too. The point he was trying to make is that we are ALL sinners. None of us deserving of Heaven. But GLAAD did not take it that way.
GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz released this statement.
"Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans -- and Americans -- who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."
I don't know why Phil saying these things in a personal interview is a stain on A&E but Alec Baldwin calling a gay photographer a "toxic little queen" isn't a stain on MSNBC. Why are some people given the right to say what they want but others aren't? The first amendment is for EVERYONE! It doesn't matter if what they say is what you want to hear. It doesn't matter if what they say differs from your beliefs. If you don't like what they have to say, don't listen. Turn off the TV. Turn off the radio. You know what? You should probably just stay home and never leave and never talk to anyone. At some point you might meet someone who differs from you ever-so-slightly and no one would want you to get offended.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Girls And Guns
Everyone remembers their first time. Your heart is pounding. You feel like you might be sick. Your hands start shaking like a leaf. You start having second thoughts, but something tells you to do it. Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking about your first time shooting!
I think women especially can be intimidated by their "first time." Unfortunately, some women might let that fear get the best of them and never get the chance to experience the wonder that is firing a gun. So ladies, here's some steps you can take to make sure you have a pleasant experience.
1) Find someone knowledgeable who can teach you all the safety rules. The NRA offers firearm safety classes as well as the Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can go online to find classes, or you can learn from someone you know who has experience.
2) Find someone who will let you borrow a firearm that you're comfortable with. Some indoor ranges also have guns that you can rent for the time you're at the range. Make sure the firearm fits comfortably in your hand or snugly in your shoulder. If you aren't comfortable, chances are you won't like your experience.
3) Select a proper caliber. There's two ways you can go about this. One way would be to select the biggest caliber you think you can handle and go balls to the wall to get over your fear. The other way would be to start small and work your way up. A nice .22 caliber has little to no recoil and is very fun to shoot. On the other hand, once you shoot a .45 caliber handgun or a 30-06 rifle, not much could intimidate you from there on out. As a side note, there is a thing as too big for an inexperienced person to shoot. Do NOT go out and shoot a Smith and Wesson .500 your first time. You will not like it. It will hurt you.
4) Learn proper body mechanics. How you grip a pistol or shoulder a rifle can make all the difference in the world. There are plenty of videos on proper technique for gripping a pistol. Its difficult for me to explain on here. For a long gun, you are going to want to place 60-70% of your body weight on your front foot. Lean forward into the gun. Pull the gun into your shoulder. Hard. If it isn't uncomfortable, you aren't holding it tight enough. These few things will make your experience much more enjoyable.
There isn't anything in this world that I've found that even comes close to the feeling you get when you fire off a few rounds. Shooting can be very empowering and can boost a woman's confidence through the roof. Now go out there and shoot!
I think women especially can be intimidated by their "first time." Unfortunately, some women might let that fear get the best of them and never get the chance to experience the wonder that is firing a gun. So ladies, here's some steps you can take to make sure you have a pleasant experience.
1) Find someone knowledgeable who can teach you all the safety rules. The NRA offers firearm safety classes as well as the Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can go online to find classes, or you can learn from someone you know who has experience.
2) Find someone who will let you borrow a firearm that you're comfortable with. Some indoor ranges also have guns that you can rent for the time you're at the range. Make sure the firearm fits comfortably in your hand or snugly in your shoulder. If you aren't comfortable, chances are you won't like your experience.
3) Select a proper caliber. There's two ways you can go about this. One way would be to select the biggest caliber you think you can handle and go balls to the wall to get over your fear. The other way would be to start small and work your way up. A nice .22 caliber has little to no recoil and is very fun to shoot. On the other hand, once you shoot a .45 caliber handgun or a 30-06 rifle, not much could intimidate you from there on out. As a side note, there is a thing as too big for an inexperienced person to shoot. Do NOT go out and shoot a Smith and Wesson .500 your first time. You will not like it. It will hurt you.
4) Learn proper body mechanics. How you grip a pistol or shoulder a rifle can make all the difference in the world. There are plenty of videos on proper technique for gripping a pistol. Its difficult for me to explain on here. For a long gun, you are going to want to place 60-70% of your body weight on your front foot. Lean forward into the gun. Pull the gun into your shoulder. Hard. If it isn't uncomfortable, you aren't holding it tight enough. These few things will make your experience much more enjoyable.
There isn't anything in this world that I've found that even comes close to the feeling you get when you fire off a few rounds. Shooting can be very empowering and can boost a woman's confidence through the roof. Now go out there and shoot!
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Sometimes, There Is a Simple Cure
Imagine a world where a teenager steals some beer, jumps in his truck while intoxicated, and kills four people. Imagine this teen is sentenced only to probation. Outrageous, no? Even more outrageous is that this actually happened, and it happened because a psychologist says the teen suffers from "Affluenza." That means the psychologist thinks the boy grew up in an environment where he had no consequences to his actions because his family is wealthy. I'm sure the definition of Affluenza is true. Some people seem to live their lives by different standards, getting away with crimes for which we mere peons would be executed. How, though, can one use this as an actual legal defense? And as an excuse to get away with another crime? And who, pray tell, is the real perpetrator here?
In this society, people have a constant need to find someone on whom to place blame. There's a few different things you'll be hearing in regards to this particular story...
1) Capitalism- Everyone's go-to when something doesn't go their way. If that family hadn't acquired so much wealth, maybe, just maybe, this boy wouldn't have Affluenza. You can try to go this way, but given an ideal can't philosophically speaking take any blame, you probably shouldn't. Capitalism didn't jump in a truck while intoxicated and kill four people. Capitalism didn't sentence the kid to probation when he clearly should have gotten jail time. Which brings me to my next point...
2) The Justice System- Go ahead and try to say the Justice System failed because the kid is wealthy. After all, his family probably paid to have his sentence reduced to probation, right? So is the judge to blame? The lawyers? The psychologist? Nope. Nope. Nope. Keep on point. The judges, lawyers, and that psychologist didn't jump in a truck while intoxicated and kill four people. They didn't raise a spoiled rotten brat who constantly gets his way and has no consequences.
3) The Parents- Ahhh...getting warmer. Having wealth does not automatically make you a bad person. There are plenty of celebrities who are praised for their humanitarian efforts. The parents had (and still do) a responsibility to make sure their child grew up with morals and principles. In that respect they are no different than any other parent on the face of this planet. Rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight...I don't care. Every parent is responsible for making sure their child is raised up right. It is a parent's responsibility to teach their child respect, compassion, and personal responsibility...to a certain extent. At some point, everything your parents taught you becomes guidelines. You start making your own choices. You start testing boundaries. Which is where we need to remember those parents didn't jump in a truck while intoxicated and kill four people. Noticing a pattern? Now we get to where the actual blame needs to be placed...
THE TEENAGER!!!
It doesn't matter how you were raised. It doesn't matter if you've never had to face consequences before. It doesn't matter if the psychologist comes up with some crap legal defense and the judge shows leniency. The responsibility lies solely on the one who made the choice to steal the beer, jump in his truck while intoxicated, and kill four people. The cure for this so-called Affluenza is not more leniency in the courts or a diagnosis code in the DSM. The cure is taking personal responsibility for your actions. Plain and simple. Stop looking for a way out of the consequences. Stop looking for a scapegoat. Until this society starts to value personal responsibility again, you can bet on seeing more stories a lot like this one.
The news article can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/12/affluenza-defense-probation-for-deadly-dwi_n_4430807.html
In this society, people have a constant need to find someone on whom to place blame. There's a few different things you'll be hearing in regards to this particular story...
1) Capitalism- Everyone's go-to when something doesn't go their way. If that family hadn't acquired so much wealth, maybe, just maybe, this boy wouldn't have Affluenza. You can try to go this way, but given an ideal can't philosophically speaking take any blame, you probably shouldn't. Capitalism didn't jump in a truck while intoxicated and kill four people. Capitalism didn't sentence the kid to probation when he clearly should have gotten jail time. Which brings me to my next point...
2) The Justice System- Go ahead and try to say the Justice System failed because the kid is wealthy. After all, his family probably paid to have his sentence reduced to probation, right? So is the judge to blame? The lawyers? The psychologist? Nope. Nope. Nope. Keep on point. The judges, lawyers, and that psychologist didn't jump in a truck while intoxicated and kill four people. They didn't raise a spoiled rotten brat who constantly gets his way and has no consequences.
3) The Parents- Ahhh...getting warmer. Having wealth does not automatically make you a bad person. There are plenty of celebrities who are praised for their humanitarian efforts. The parents had (and still do) a responsibility to make sure their child grew up with morals and principles. In that respect they are no different than any other parent on the face of this planet. Rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight...I don't care. Every parent is responsible for making sure their child is raised up right. It is a parent's responsibility to teach their child respect, compassion, and personal responsibility...to a certain extent. At some point, everything your parents taught you becomes guidelines. You start making your own choices. You start testing boundaries. Which is where we need to remember those parents didn't jump in a truck while intoxicated and kill four people. Noticing a pattern? Now we get to where the actual blame needs to be placed...
THE TEENAGER!!!
It doesn't matter how you were raised. It doesn't matter if you've never had to face consequences before. It doesn't matter if the psychologist comes up with some crap legal defense and the judge shows leniency. The responsibility lies solely on the one who made the choice to steal the beer, jump in his truck while intoxicated, and kill four people. The cure for this so-called Affluenza is not more leniency in the courts or a diagnosis code in the DSM. The cure is taking personal responsibility for your actions. Plain and simple. Stop looking for a way out of the consequences. Stop looking for a scapegoat. Until this society starts to value personal responsibility again, you can bet on seeing more stories a lot like this one.
The news article can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/12/affluenza-defense-probation-for-deadly-dwi_n_4430807.html
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