Grim News

So it has been a while since I just cut loose with some good old fashioned vitriol.  I’ve been too busy with Dragon*Con, Work, and most importantly my wife and kid to be concerned about much of the rest of the world.  Today, I have a few minutes to vent some spleen about the things that have managed to fuck with my domestic serenity in the last few months.  As always, if you are offended by coarse language and politically incorrect thought, hit your fucking back button now. (Yes, that f-bomb was completely gratuitous, that’s the point.)

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I don’t update this site nearly often enough to make this anything more that self-administered therapy, but what the hell?  I have a few things I need to unload.

• The weight loss effort has hit a definite stall.  Not losing any ground, but not gaining any either.  Very frustrating.  Yes, I know it will pass in time, but it still sucks.

• Haiti.  Am I the only guy that can’t tell much of a difference in the “Before” and “After photos of that country?  Don’t get me wrong, I have strong sympathy for the people of that country.  Like nearly everyone else on the planet, I’ve made a donation or two because Lord knows those folks need all the help they can get.  However, it wasn’t exactly paradise before the earthquake hit.  I think most of the blame can be assigned to the corrupt, ineffectual leadership in Haiti.

And speaking of corrupt, ineffectual leadership…

*pause while I unlock the mental barrier which has been containing my anger*

• This country is doomed.

The ‘American Experiment’ is a failure.  “We The People” are too short-sighted, too self-righteous, and too uneducated to make a Constitutional Republic succeed.   Unlike many of the voters who voted for Barack Obama, I don’t think he’s the second coming of Christ.   I actually believe that if he got everything he wanted passed through Congress it would be a Bad Thing.  On the other hand, the Republican Party has gone from Clown Shoes to the completely absurd.

In government’s zeal to confer rights and privileges on their corporate supporters that individual humans do not enjoy, this country has become run by ‘The Highest Bidder’. (We can thank the Supreme Court, and the Republican-appointed majority, for this one…)

The Republican Party has become content to be the kid in the back of the classroom who shouts “nuh-uh!” whenever someone else tries to make a point.  If they can stop Obama from doing anything until the mid-term elections next year, all they will do during the campaign is say “See? Obama can’t do anything!” and ask the voters to put them back in charge.  And “We The People” will fall for it.  If you are one of those people who takes Limbaugh, Beck, or O’Reilly seriously, please… shoot yourself.   I’ll be the first to admit that they can be fun to listen to sometimes.  I am a big fan of Rush’s “Demonstrate Absurdity by Being Absurd” routine.  However, if you don’t realize that they bend and distort facts in order to support their own skewed world view then you lack the mental faculties necessary for effective exercise of your sovereign responsibilities in the political process.  (Translation: You’re too fucking stupid to vote.)

And the Democrats…  How, exactly, can you be so ineffective when you have a 60-40 majority in the Senate and a clear majority in the House?  Are you that scared of a filibuster?  Call their bluff and make them do it!  Make them stand on the floor of Congress for 48 hours and read a phone book or something.  Use some tricks of parliamentary procedure and force cloture.  For god’s sake don’t back down from a fight!  You want to know why voters are becoming upset with you?  Because you are the spineless cretins that your political opponents say you are.  Brew a few dozen pots of coffee, and camp out in the Senate chambers until the GOP runs out of steam on their filibuster.  Make them talk for a week if you have to.  Congressionally speaking, there isn’t one Democrat in either house with the will, leadership, or charisma to take the fight to the GOP.  Obama is the balls, brains, heart, and soul of the Democratic party right now, and would-be Presidential candidates would be well served by getting out there and kicking some butt right now.

Oh yeah, one more group…

Libertarians/Ron Paul-ites/None of the Above’rs

The reason that nobody votes for you is that you don’t run a candidate who can play the game.  I’m not saying you have to play by “their” rules, but you should at least know enough about how things are done in Washington to avoid tripping on yourselves once you get there.  Find a candidate who can engage people and has a touch of charisma, then hire the best political strategists you can find.  Wade in to the muck in Washington and get something done.  Otherwise, you’re a bunch of dilettante debaters whose Ivory Tower theories will never have the chance to be proven right or wrong.  Raise some money and win an election or two, then maybe you’ll be taken seriously enough to get your ideas into the minds of voters on a more regular basis than “Some pissed off techno-dweeb’s blog of rage” (you know… like mine.)

I am not sitting in front of my TV watching politicians talk about their latest plan to “save us”.   The only thing I ask of our political leadership is to keep things fair for all of us so that I can succeed on my own merits.   I don’t want to hear phrases like “Too Big To Fail” in the future.  I don’t want to hear politicians talk about “what’s fair for…” anyone that isn’t an individual (preferably ALL individuals) in our country.  “They” are spending way too much time and energy defending and serving interests other than the people of this country.  Why do I tell you this?

Because “They” are all crooks.  Every single one of them.  The whole rotten structure of our government is run by a bunch of opportunistic whores who would shoot their own kids if it would get them the votes they would need to stay in power.  Do you know whose fault it is that they are still there?

Ours…

and that is why we’re doomed.

To properly illustrate what a rambling, incoherent mess Sarah Palin’s resignation speech was, allow me to introduce the Baddest Starship Captain in the History of Science-Fiction, Mr. William Shatner.

What makes this ten times funnier is that the GOP is seriously considering running a moron like Palin for President in 3 years.

Oh, and you’ve already heard my go off on the Health Care system in this country, but I thought I’d throw in a gratuitous chart which might make my point a little clearer.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to this. “Do you want to live a longer, healthier life?” Or do you think it’s going to be ok to hear “Sorry that you can’t afford proper medical care. You’re going to die.”? Is “Tough Shit” a good enough answer for you? Or are you willing to rein in anarcho-capitalism long enough to come up with a solution that works for everyone? People who rail against “Socialized Medicine” live in constant fear of having medical decisions made by government bureaucrats, but would you rather live at the whim of insurance company executives who see you as nothing more than an account ID? Choose your poison folks.

Ding Dong, the Bitch is Dead. (politically speaking)

Now most journalism professionals or bloggers who get paid for their trouble will take the time to temporize or moderate their words out of a sense of respect for the topic or person in question.

I am neither, nor do I have any respect for the person in question.

Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska on the 4th of July weekend.  Did she think we wouldn’t notice?  She quits her job only 2 1/2 years into her first term as Alaska’s governor, with her only other executive experience being Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 7,000 people.  Let’s put this in perspective.  As a director at Dragon*Con, *I* have experience managing a community with more people than that!

From the Washington Post:

Palin offered few clues about her ambitions but said she arrived at her decision in part to protect her family, which has faced withering criticism and occasional mockery, and to escape ethics probes that have drained her family’s finances and hampered her ability to govern. She said leaving office is in the best interest of the state and will allow her to more effectively advocate for issues of importance to her, including energy independence and national security.

Hey, bitch!  Who was it that decided to have their pregnant-unwed-teenage daughter tour as a spokesman for “abstinence education” in the first place?  Who was it that engaged in unethical behavior?  Who, exactly, is going to give a damn what you think about anything now that you hold no office and no realistic chance of regaining one?  How is it our fault that you have managed to fuck up everything in your life from your family to your state?

More importantly, why would any sane human being give you another chance to do it again?

And now you’re talking about suing a blogger because she has reported some of the various rumors surrounding you and your administration?

Oh, PLEASE give me a piece of that action!

In fact, I’ll make it easy for you.  Here is a laundry list of all of the rumors, none of which have been asserted as fact, that have given you cause not only to sue bloggers in a clear violation of everything that the 1st Amendment stands for, but also have given you cause to quit your job after 2.5 years, most of which was spent on the McCain’s campaign trail.

Naturally, with the overwhelming doubt in the minds of the public that these could possibly be the real reasons she was stepping down, questions were asked. Phones started ringing in Alaska from friends and relatives who wanted the “real story.” Alaskans were even asking each other what they thought was really going on. Questions were many and answers were few.

There seemed to be dozens of rumors circulating about the governor at any given point in time, and this week was no different. People were muttering about personal family problems, about new ethics complaints, about legal cases involving her use of personal off-the-radar Yahoo email accounts to conduct state business. Then there was talk about the legality of her legal defense fund which is currently being questioned, or maybe even personal illness. But the ones that seems to have gotten under the governor’s skin were reports involving rumors floating about town that there was some kind of shenanigans going on with the simultaneous building of the governor’s house, and the Wasilla Sports Complex, and a supposed IRS investigation. Was this the infamous rumor of an “iceberg” that could sink the S.S. Palin as had been reported on another Alaskan blog? Are any of these rumors actually true? Who knows. Are they being talked about in open conversation at holiday barbeques all over the state today? Oh, yes.

There it is, I’m blogging about it too.  Sue me.  I fucking DARE you.

In fact, I’ll make it even easier!

Here are some other instances where I have blogged about you.  Surely you can find something to sue me over.

• Sarah Palin’s connections to Scientology
• Sarah Palin is full of it alright…
• Sarah Palin, You’ve got FAIL!
• Sarah Palin, the ultimate hypocrite.
• Sarah Palin, The Master Debater *snicker*
• How I am more qualified to be Vice President than Sarah Palin

Somewhere in that twisted mind of Palin’s, she is seriously considering running for President in 3 years.  Let’s take a look at just some of the strategic missteps that she has made.

1. She has quit the only significant elected office that she has ever held. (Sorry dear, Mayor of Dogpatch doesn’t make you qualified to be President.)
2. She has stated as one of her reasons for quitting the aforementioned job that the press’s “withering criticism” and “mockery” were too much for her to handle.  Really?  If you think the reporters on the political beat in Anchorage are a riot, just WAIT till you meet the Washington Press Corps.  Oh, that’s right.  You did, and they had a field day with you.
3. She is catering to the nutbag-conservative-Christian base, but has an unwed teenage daughter with a child of her own who is going around preaching the virtues of abstinence.  (Sorry, but this cracks me up every time.)
4. Her husband makes Larry The Cable Guy look like Noam Chomsky.

I don’t know how many of you remember when the Clinton’s came to Washington, but the endless “Here come the Clampett’s” references were a staple of early 90′s comedy.  How the GOP managed to find an even more inbred, unsophisticated, simple-minded clan to foist on the American electorate is still a mystery to me.  At least the Clinton’s belied their image and proved to be remarkably sophisticated operators in Washington.  Could you even fathom the possibility of Todd Palin becoming Secretary of State someday?

I think I just cracked a rib.

So please, Sarah… Add me to your list of bloggers that are going to be hit with a lawsuit for reporting rumors about you and your administration.  I’m begging you.

Gosh, I hope I wasn’t ambivalent in that headline.

For those of you blessed enough to live under a rock, “Kwanzaa” is a made up holiday which is celebrated by certain, misguided, members of the Black community in this country.  The only reason this, so-called, holiday gets to see the light of day from the rest of the country can be summed up in three words. “White Man’s Guilt”.

First, the facts.

Kwanzaa is the creation of one Ron Karenga, born Ronald Everett.  Mr. Karenga (He has legally changed his name, so I’m not going to employ the “Cassius Clay” technique here.) invented the holiday in 1966 while a member of a Black Nationalist group called “Organization US“.

We are going to ignore, for the most part, the fact that this organization was at odds with other Black Nationalist groups such as the Black Panthers and that the organization was responsible for killing two Black Panthers over the issue of who would take over a teaching position.

We won’t even focus on the fact that Karenga and a couple of his followers were sentenced to prison.

“In 1971, Karenga, Louis Smith, and Luz Maria Tamayo were convicted of felony assault and imprisoned for allegedly assaulting and torturing two women members of US, Deborah Jones and Gail Davis. A May 14, 1971, article in the Los Angeles Times described the testimony of one of the women: “Deborah Jones, who once was given the Swahili title of an African queen, said she and Gail Davis were whipped with an electrical cord and beaten with a karate baton after being ordered to remove their clothes. She testified that a hot soldering iron was placed in Miss Davis’ mouth and placed against Miss Davis’ face and that one of her own big toes was tightened in a vise. Karenga, head of US, also put detergent and running hoses in their mouths, she said. They also were hit on the heads with toasters.”

We’re not going to talk about the fact that Karenga is a scumbag because the case against “Kwanzaa” can be made much more easily without those facts getting in the way.

Let’s start with a simple test.

Who celebrates the virtues “Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith”?

1. Marxists
2. People who celebrate “Kwanzaa”
3. All of the above

If you took option number 3, congratulations!  Karenga doesn’t deny that he “cribbed” these principles directly from Marxism.  “Collective Work”?  “Cooperative Economics”?  Meh.

Then, of course, there is the name itself.  “Kwanzaa” is derived from the Swahili phrase for “First Fruits” (or “First Harvest”) matunda ya kwanza. Now call me crazy, but isn’t December an odd time of year to have a holiday celebrating “First Fruits”?  And Swahili?  Now, I admit that I am no college professor of history, but I do know a couple of things.

1. African slaves that were sent to North America came primarily from West Africa.
2. Swahili was spoken primarily in East Africa.

This would be roughly equivalent to creating a Spanish holiday based on Muscovite culture and Russian traditions on the grounds that “It’s all European, isn’t it?”  Now I realize that all white people look alike, but c’mon, will ya?

So we have a Convicted Felon and erstwhile 1960′s radical who is making up a holiday based on Marxist beliefs and a culture that he isn’t even a part of.  That’s a Charlie Brown special waiting to happen, isn’t it?

Far be it from me to piss all over a cultural holiday that isn’t my own.  I don’t write rants saying that Ramadan isn’t a real holiday because I’m not a Muslim.  I don’t claim that Hanukkah isn’t worth celebrating or acknowledging because I happen not to be Jewish.  Hell, my claim to Christianity is so thin that I could pick my teeth with it, but that doesn’t stop me from celebrating Christmas every year.

So why hate on “Kwanzaa”?

Because it is a lie, based on lies, and perpetuated by liars.  Because every time some idiot with an attitude tries to “correct” me by saying “Happy Kwanzaa” every time I wish them a Merry Christmas, I want to scoop out their entrails with a rusty spork.  The only thing worse than not knowing your history is to make it up and expect the rest of us to believe it out of an expectation of racial guilt.  The world didn’t buy it when it was called “Aryanism” and perpetuated by some “German” named Adolf Hitler, and it shouldn’t buy into it now.

Fuck that, and fuck “Kwanzaa”.

Merry Christmas!

-Grim