The Free World

First, the set up.

Driving to work today my car radio locked itself on the AM band (don’t get me started, I am getting a new one next month). And I got to listen to this blow hole talk about how great America is, how we are the leaders of the free world and how we have so many rights and freedoms in this country, that if people don’t like it they can just leave. The blowhole in his next segment went on to talk about the dangers of a black President, said that their fried chicken and watermelon would ruin the White House and that they would never get the smell out, this blow hole also talked of the dangers of allowing the homosexual agenda to be pushed upon us, we are endangering our marriages and our children if we believe that the homosexual agenda is harmless, yet we are the leader of the free world.

Now, for my soapbox

Citizenship in America is not easy, to quote a movie, America is advanced citizenship and you have to want it. When is America going to get it, free speech is about more than being able to stand up and say whatever you desire, free speech is the ability to acknowledge someone is standing in the middle of room advocating at the top of their lungs what you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours, that is the freedom of speech. Freedom is taken for granted in this country; freedom is taken to mean freedom for those who agree with you, a moral standard, and a belief system shoved down everyone’s throats, while we pretend to have a freedom of religion. What happened to the ability to change the channel if you find something offense, why do we need it regulated, censored, or banned, pick up the remote and change the damn channel, it isn’t that hard. Moreover, what exactly is it about that homosexual agenda that scares the hell out of you, why you are so insecure in your beliefs, and in your marriage that you think the two boys in a loving relationship down the block will ruin it for you is beyond me, and if you can figure that out, well then you are a smarter person than I am. Let ask our allies such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, or the Czech Republic, Hungary, Uruguay, Slovenia, Spain, and Norway how they feel about same sex unions, those countries all have some form of legalized same sex union, and none of them have been stricken from the face of the earth, married couples did not cease to love each other or be married because two people of the same sex are also in a committed union together. America professing to be the leader of the free world is a crock of shit. Before we can profess ourselves to be the leaders of the free world we need to establish what freedom is, not a one sided “I am free to inflict my views upon you”, but an open debate, an open world where two people can stand openly in a room and profess their beliefs openly, and have the person standing next to them respect their right to be able to do it, that is freedom. Let us see that taught in classrooms, defend that, then we can stand up and sing about being the land of the free. The problem with so many people in our society, especially our leader is not that they do not get it, but that they can’t sell it. We have many issues facing our society, a failing economy, a falling foreign policy, a failed war, and what we need are serious people who get it to take charge and work together to solve the problems facing our nation. Most politicians are not the least bit interested in what our problems really are, they are interested in making you afraid of it, and telling you who is to blame for it, that is how elections are won. Senator Obama was right when he talked about apathetic voters who cling to their guns and bibles because that’s all they feel they have. Republicans have gotten really good at that game, you don’t need to debate issues, you just need to talk about family, values, character, and scare people that the other side is coming to take that away next. We have real problems facing this country and it is time for serious people to step up and help pull this country back up, and for blow holes like the moron on the morning radio, it’s past time that your fifteen minutes are up.

Thank you and good night.

And So It Begins, all over again

So I start classes on Tuesday. I must say I have a relatively easy semester planned. I am taking 14 credit hours, but I only have class two days a week, 10-11:15 12-1:15 and 6-9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So far it looks like the only issue I will have this semester will be $$$$, As you have read I quite my full time job about 5 months ago, I had been working part time (30 hours a week) at a local bank, but about a week ago that went to shit. They had agreed to let me leave a couple of minutes early one night a week to make it to class on time, well the little bitch I work with announced after my schedule had been approved went to HR and said she had a class that started at 5:30 and she would have to leave at 5 and not close, which completely screwed me and my class. ( I will interject here and say her class was offered in 6 different sections, mine is offered in 1 section per semester and I must take it before I can take any further classes) Well after “talks” to work it out broke down my employer told me I could drop the class, quite, or take the class and be fired for leaving work early. Well I took option 2. I had another job lined up, problem is it makes $2 less per hour and 10 less hours per week. So needless to say I am in a bit of a money bind at the moment. However, I am sure I will figure out a way to land on my feet. Now if I could just get the bitch at work (new job) to quite calling be a spoiled child of privilege, life would just be peachy. But enough about that. It is 2008, a new year, a chance to start over, whatever that may mean. I am only 24 years old; I suppose we all must take our knocks in life, I am at least young enough I can recover and come out of whatever may happen better off than I am now. As for classes I have decided to share with you all the true level of my insanity, here are my classes: (ECCE is Engaged Citizen Combined Experience (It’s a retarded))

POS 231 – Political Ideas and Ideologies – Course focuses on the role of ideas in politics and assumes that ideas shape politics and history. It explores the prominent ideas and ideologies of the western world of the past several centuries and attempts to better understand our modern world through these prisms. (3 Credit Hours)

POS 373 – ECCE: Introduction to International Relations – This course provides students with the basic concepts and theories of the study of international relations. Topics include: the international system, the balance of power, and economic interdependence. (3 Credit Hours)
POS 409 – Political Parties and Interest Groups – Examination of interest groups and political parties in American politics. (4 Credit Hours)

POS 451 – Empirical Political Analysis – Examines the empirical research process from conceptualization to data analysis and writing the research report. Particular emphasis will be given to research design and causal analysis. Empirical methods explored will include direct observation and survey research. (4 Credit Hours)

Well, I need to get some sleep. I helped prepare and served a Champaign breakfast this morning, I got home last night after midnight and went to sleep around 12:30 only to be up at 5 AM and cooking by 6 AM. Didn’t get back home till 2 PM. So I am tired, sore, and still smell like the fucking pancakes I was making today.

BW

We the People, In order to form a more perfect union

As any person such as myself who is interested in politics, this time of year is fun for us with presidential politics in the air, this year I have been playing attention to all of the candidates and have especially how they handle questions of gay marriage/unions and gay rights and their various positions on those issues. Now I am not going to get into a detailed post about gay rights or gay marriage, I have done that already and there is no need to regurgitate old news. What I am going to take a swing at is the accusation that this whole gay marriage thing is nothing more than activist judges attempting to legislate from the bench. Now I, as a student of government, believe in the separation of branches of government and the autonomy of each to perform its necessary duties. But my question is what do you do when a branch of government fails to do its duty, or allows outside special interests to unduly influence their deliberations, what do you do then, is it then the responsibility of one of the other branches to step in where the others fail to perform? In my opinions legislatures and executives have failed to take one the issue of gay rights, and it doesn’t matter what party either, the only difference is on party tells us to our faces they won’t help us, the other promises us everything but sells us out behind closed doors. There are plenty of states in this county who have sufficient majorities in their legislatures and Governors offices to pass gay rights legislation and at the very least civil unions, so the question is why. It all comes down to winning elections, no matter what party, it just like it was in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s anyone who actively supported equal rights for blacks was all but committing political suicide. Just watch the democratic candidates closely while they will respond to questions about gay marriage watch their careful non-committal response. The truth is, as long as we continue to let the neo-conservative right and the evangelical right dictate national policy then nothing will change. I wonder how many of their followers would be so faithful if their sins where to be posted on the front page of the times or tribune. So back to the Judges, if a legislature fails to act, then damn right a judge, or anyone else with the ability and power to do the right thing have the stones to stand up and do the right thing. Perhaps if legislators both state and national would grow a pair of balls and quit selling them off to the highest bidder and pandering to every interest group who walks by, what kind of would we/could we live in. I’ve said it before a new civil war is brewing in this country, not between north and south, but a war of ideology, and unless more people start to call for true equality and understanding on both sides, we are headed for a very dark future indeed. Until then bravo to anyone in a position to make a change who has the stones to do it.

Beyond words

I had written a blog post earlier today based on something that happened earlier today in one of my classes. However, given some conversations I have had with friends lately, and something that was overheard at work today, I felt I had to post this. Now keep in mind I do not normally engage in small town gossip so I will not profess to know any of the following as fact, the point is the situation and the response of the person that led to the writing of this entry.

First the set up

Last week in one of the small towns around where I live four seniors on the local HS football team committed some type of hazing against two freshmen members of the team. While no official details have been released, it has been said that the act was of a sexual nature. Piecing together what I have been told by various sources familiar with the situation, what happened was that the two younger boys where held down and forced to perform some type of sexual act on one or more of the older students. This has rightfully so, caused an entire town to go into an uproar and talks of criminal charges have begun. Regardless of what happened in that locker room, it was wrong and those responsible deserve to be punished, because based on some of the accounts of what happened that I have heard what these boys did is beyond words.
Now that you have an idea of what went on, at least as much as I am going to tell you (I will not indulge more rumors than I already have here). Well today at work ( I work in a small town bank that is about 5-10 miles from the town in question) and a customer came in who is from that town and has children in the school there, I would guess she was in her mid 40’s to early 50’s. Well one of our employees asked her what she had heard and was discussing the whole situation and the customers response was this:

“Well if you ask me it’s all this homosexual (she said it as if it’s a disease)tolerance, you know all these queers on TV and in movies, doing their perverted acts, these kids are just getting the wrong idea about sex from those disgusting influences. And besides we all know its gay men who molest little boys”

Well this conversation continued after I removed myself from the area, no one at this job knows I am gay, and I will say that none of them in various discussions has made any remarks in any way close to what that woman said and the employee she said it too was highly offended when she left. But that is exactly the mentality of people that I hate. For the statistical record, the majority of child molesters are Heterosexual White Males, with Heterosexual White Females in second place. Moreover, clinically, pedophiles often choose victims regardless of their gender; the attraction to them is the prepubescent phase where sex organs are not yet fully developed. It just pisses me off there are people out there who honestly think this shit and go around spouting it in public like it’s the fucking gospel. I have heard this argument before; I had a friend that a local church wanted removed from the school because he would spread his homosexual infestation to the rest of the student body. Days like today, and small minded fucks like the bitch today make me wish I were away from these small town racist, homophobic, assholes.

A Blog About Nothing

Well so much for my attempts to post something everyday huh? Oh well, I do what I can, its not like I have a mass readership who misses me anyway. The main reason I do this isn’t to provide entertaining readings, or insightfulness to others, but to provide an outlet for myself, no matter what the topic may be, I just want to be able to throw a rant if I want, or to put into written form some type on introspection on myself and my motives at times. So whatever. And for those paying attention, if I seem a bit out of it or in a mood, I kind of am. I sat up all night thinking about stuff. Recently I have had several people tell me they like talking to me because I seem to have it all together and figured out, and that’s what got me thinking, do I really have things figured out. For almost 3 years I spent it being cold, a distanced from a lot of things, as a result I don’t really feel comfortable at times when it comes to relationships. Don’t get me wrong I have several friends that I like being around and hanging out with, but when it comes to looking for a boyfriend, I kinda suck at it, if I manage to meet someone I can usually fuck it up because I get nervous or don’t know what to say or how to act and the person gets away. Let me explain here also that I am able to relax around my friends, people I know and who know me and I feel I can let my guard down around. Honestly I don’t what to do sometimes, its like there are two sides to me, the one that can go out with his friends be relaxed and comfortable, and the one who still looks at what cars are in the parking lot and who’s inside of a bar or restaurant before I will go in. And for those who think I am exaggerating, during the campaigns that’s how it was, anytime it was a group of us from the campaign we would have to look at who was around and determine if we would stay if we did, how would we act, what would we say, what topics would be off limits, who might overhear something, that the thought process we had to use a lot and I half wonder am I still in that frame of mind. Add on top of that at the time trying to keep up enough defenses to not let anyone in on my hidden secrets. I know I have been out for almost a year, and I know I can’t expect changes overnight, but I thought I might be able to shed some more of these thing by now. At least by most accounts I’m not the complete cold heartless prick I was 18 months ago.

An American Education

I saw it when I was in High School, and I see it again now that my nephew is in High School. Teacher who only teach the politically correct, tell what we did right and leave out the rest. I have flipped through my old HS textbook on history and my nephews, nowhere in either book is the American internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2 mentioned, but there is plenty of time spent damning the Nazis for imprisoning the Jews. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to justify the actions of Nazi Germany, but how can we condemn others when we did some of the same things we damn them for. You also won’t find mention that during the slave trade, African tribal leader sold their own people into slavery, again the slave trade was wrong, but let be honest about, white Europeans where not the only ones with blood on their hands. Another thing that just burns my ass is teachers who ask open-ended opinion questions, then mark you down because your opinion doesn’t jive with theirs. What’s said is this is getting worse, I am seeing it more and more in my classes in college, its almost as if there is a war to eradicate independent thought, and to just accept whatever the instructor spoon feeds the class.

Ok educational rant over, now I’m going to share a thought from my Political Philosophy Class.

Why is that we live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, yet have over half our citizens liven below the poverty line? Why is it that our country has one of the finest educational systems in world, yet we have one of the highest illiterate rates and lowest test scores in the world? Why is that we have the finest doctors, and medical advances, in the world, yet thousand die each year from diseases and medical conditions that we know how to treat and prevent? What is the answer to all of these, money, money is what divides us, money separates the rich and the poor, without money to get into the schools you don’t get the quality education, without money for the doctors you don’t get the treatment reserved for the rich.