Here We Fucking Go Again

Well, the Catholic Church is yet again trying to bite off its nose to spite its face. The United States Council of Catholic Bishops, the governing body in the U.S., is apparently instructing all pastors to distribute anti-health reform material at masses. And of course, the issue is.....(wait for it) ........ ABORTION! What a surprise. Talk about a one issue group of folks. I guess it's ok for people to die &/or suffer needlessly because of lack of decent medical attention, but don't even think of paying for abortions with medical insurance. Is it any wonder that the Church is losing members in droves, including the always traditionally Catholic populations of many, many South & Central American nations, because it's so out of touch with the actual real-world concerns of almost everyone these days? Do they really think that just because you CAN get an abortion, you're GOING to get one, just for the hell of it? I honestly don't understand this logic- I guess because there actually is no logic involved.

I am so absolutely sick of this shit. If it wasn't so infuriating & just so WRONG, it would be funny, that one issue could be the lone overriding concern cancelling out literally EVERYTHING ELSE in existence, apparently. At least some of the bishops have to know that this is just wrong & crazy. There is no way in hell it can be justified, & I know that at least some of them aren't absolute idealogical robotic morons. And don't you just love the way they handle the church/state separation (as always)? Oh, I guess that doesn't count, cause it's just in the Constitution, not the Bible (not that Catholics know jack-shit about the Bible). What hypocritical assholes. Jesus would be ashamed.

Jackasses on the Loose

In an op-ed piece in last Sunday's New York Times, titled "The Politics of Spite", the economist Paul Krugman said that "the modern conservative movement, which dominates the modern Republican party, has the emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old". That is true, especially if the 13-year-old was also named Damien. But I believe that it's much more serious than calling them juvenile. They're also vicious, mean-spirited, racist, homophobic, ignorant & dangerous. And crazy, especially these jackasses (my new favorite word) who go around waving signs denigrating the president, but can't tell the Constitution from 'Pat the Bunny'. And on Bill Maher's show on the Friday before last, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, whom I rarely agree with, was talking about the violent atmosphere that will undoubtedly cause some crazy, ignorant right-wing asshole (my words, not his) with a gun to go on a rampage that will end in tragedy. I mean, a poll on Facebook about murdering the president? Are you fucking kidding? What's the old adage about the lunatics running the asylum? That's the Republican party right now. Jeaneane Garofalo, whom I absolutely love cause she just always calls a spade a spade, said on the same show that these lunatics are basically white supremists, which I think is very true. That's the reason it's become so personal with all the shit about Obama. They just do not want a black president, & I believe will stop at nothing to try to eliminate him, not just his policies. I'm sure that they resent the fact that he's not only smarter than them, but more educated & sophisticated, too. Not that they actually respect any of those things; in fact, they seem to revel in their ignorance & stupidity. Go figure- I sure as hell can't (& don't want to).

Are the rest of us- the sane, relatively informed people who actually elected Barack Obama- really going to sit around & listen to & watch this bullshit any longer without doing something? I went to see Michael Moore's awesome film "Capitalism: A Love Story" the other night, & I didn't know whether to cry or take to the streets. He shows, in ways the average person who isn't well-schooled in economics can understand, exactly how Wall St. has fucked us, over & over. It's just part & parcel of this same kind of crap that we observe & say "somebody should do something about that". Well, guess what, folks? We are those somebodies. Nobody's going to ride in on a white horse, even the brilliant & talented President Obama, to save us. It really is up to us. It's not just almost too late to actually do something about global warming, but also all the other things that are JUST WRONG. In his movie, Moore compares our civilization to that of the Roman Empire, & we all know what happened to it. It's not just hyperbole to say these things- it's urgent to wake people up to all of the terrible things we seem to be getting used to. We really don't have to put up with all the bullshit about banks & other financial institutions being "too big to fail". That's just too bad if they've fucked things up so badly, but they knew there wouldn't be any real consequences for them, just for us. I mean, what kind of shit is this that the very people whom they've already fucked over & over are the very ones who have to pay for their incompetance & criminality? We are STILL the ones who are hurting, not the CEOs, who are still racking up millions in "bonuses". I'm sorry, but isn't the definition of "bonus" a reward, for doing something over & beyond the average? How does nearly bankrupting a company earn someone a bonus?

And I've just recently read something I guess I really shouldn't be surprised about, but have to confess made my jaw drop. Certain "conservatives" have decided that not only does the "left-wing media" write lies, but apparently so have the authors of the Bible. Yes, folks, all that liberal stuff about treating your fellow human beings as you yourself would like to be treated, & our obligation to feed & clothe the poor & take care of our less fortunate brothers & sisters needs to be cut out of the Bible. As does all that commie language about the rich finding it harder to get into heaven & Jesus throwing money changers out of the temple. Aside from the fact that these people apparently have no idea what a metaphor is (see the earlier comment about reveling in their own ignorance), there are some things that I guess SHOULDN'T be taken literally.

It's just exhausting to even think about all this. I sometimes feel like Rosanne Rosannadanna (Gilda Radner's brilliant character on SNL), who used to say, after a long diatribe against something or other, "Nevermind". But unfortunately, we can't afford to say that today. Our very existence is in jeopardy from ignorant people who actually bring guns to town meetings with the President. It's almost weirder than fiction.

It's been a while since I started this blog, so I just found out yesterday about President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I love it especially because it's making the right-wing crazies practically explode. But seriously, one of them actually said that this was the"elite" Europeans' way of finally voting in the 2008 election. Fuck, yeah! What in the hell is wrong with that?

The Crazies

The crazies are out in force about the President's speech to schoolkids next week. I work in education, & speak from experience. Sadly. I mean, seriously, what the hell is wrong with people? Even if they ARE right-wing ignorant bigots, you'd think they would at least respect the office, if not the man. Yeah, these sure are patriotic, God-fearing folks alright. Do these one-issue, Bible-thumping hatemongers actually know what Jesus preached about, or does their interest stop at the Old Testament? I know this shit shouldn't surprise me, but you know, it always does. I guess I believe in redemption, against all evidence to the contrary. Speaking of which, our office even got a few calls about some schools lowering the flag in honor of Sen. Kennedy last week.Apparently, there are a LOT of hateful, spiteful, mean-spirited people out there with obviously not enough to do & way too much time on their hands. It is so,so sad that people, especially those that call themselves Christians, have so little tolerance, love, & respect for anyone who doesn't agree with their narrow-minded, petty & downright hateful beliefs. As much as I try to see the good in everyone, it's just impossible with these types of people. It really does make me sad. As much as I hated everything that George Bush stood for, I would have never acted the way these parents are acting if this had occurred during his presidency (not that it would have happened, but, still). I work for a Catholic school system, & what's happening makes me ashamed that these people call themselves Catholic. I really am both angry & incredibly sad about this situation. There's nothing Christian or patriotic about this kind of behavior. Jesus would be ashamed, too.

The Healthcare Clusterfuck

Do Republicans & so-called "Blue Dog" Democrats (whatever the hell that means) have anything to lose, other than campaign contributions from insurance & drug companies, by enacting healthcare reform? Yeah, I thought not. Do they really think that the American people can't see through this smokescreen (or maybe we should call it a "shitscreen")? I have great health insurance through my job right now, but if I stop working (for whatever reason) before I qualify for Medicare, there is no way in hell I could get insurance, let alone be able to afford it. I think there are a lot of people like me in America, let alone the millions without ANY healthcare insurance. And what exactly do those morons disrupting the 'town meetings' think 'reform' actually means, anyway?

It's just not healthcare "reform" if there's no public option. Do all these idiots yelling & screaming about "socialized medicine" not know that's exactly what Medicare is? That has been working pretty well for a very long time. What's going to keep the private insurance companies in line, if everything is going to be exactly the same as it is now, as far as choice goes?

I think the President should import some folks (doctors, administrators, etc.) from countries that have good universal PUBLIC healthcare to educate these screaming morons (if that's even possible). I know that most of them don't really want to be educated, but it will help those of us who actually want to understand what a "public option" is & how it works. Our country spends the most money of any developed country on healthcare, yet everybody else seems to have better healthcare than us. Doesn't that bother everybody? If it doesn't, it should. I for one would love to hear an intelligent discussion comparing the various systems in each country. I don't know why no one else has thought of this. It would be concrete information that people could actually use to make a decision & to use this information to let their representatives in Congress know what normal, thinking people actually want. It's sure not this circus bullshit we've been seeing in the media (& that's a whole other topic) day after day. Hey, grow a pair, progressive Democrats (& President Obama, too), & let's stop all the misinformation & outright lies we've been subjected to. You really don't need EVERYBODY to love you- all that does is make you look like ineffective wimps who back down at the slightest roadblock. Those of us who are intelligent & actually give a shit what happens to our country need to let them know that now, before it's too late & things get even more fucked up (if that's even possible). I, for one, am sick of the same old bullshit that Obama promised us he would change. Ball's in your court, Democrats, let's see what you do with it, & a nice, soft layup is not enough. You need a slam dunk this time.

An American Tragedy

What a tragedy & maybe a blessed relief at the same time. Michael Jackson gave so many so much pleasure, yet couldn't find much in his own life. He needed unconditional love, & thought he could get it by having children (no matter how they were conceived, or who were the actual biological parents, he raised them, so they were his kids). By all accounts he adored them, & they adored him. He became what he never had: a good & loving father, who had his children's best interests at heart. He did the best he could, even though he had no role model to emulate.

My daughter remarked that it was so wrong that Joe Jackson outlived his son, but maybe it was inevitable. From everything I've read & observed, he was a monster, & I don't use that term lightly. He was the reason Michael Jackson became who he was. Apparently there was no room for sensitivity or sweetness or unconditional love in the Jackson household. Anything that got in the way of making money to support the family was forbidden. The real surprise was that the entire family wasn't quite as tragically screwed up as Michael, but then again, he & Janet were the most successful, & both of them had few good words for their father. He didn't even let his kids call him "Father" or "Dad". It was always "Joseph". From the first time that he told Michael that he was ugly (a bald-faced lie, obviously) or had a big nose, the damage was done. Even though he was a really cute kid who grew up to be a really good-looking man (before all the surgery), Michael didn't really see "the man in the mirror". He saw someone who looked too much like his father (who WAS ugly), even though I think he looked more like his mother, who was beautiful. He suffered from "body dismorphia", which is the same disorder anorexics & bulemics have, & the outcome of that is never good.

I think Michael used plastic surgery & skin bleaching to become the farthest thing from his father that he could imagine. I don't think that he didn't want to be a black man, which is something Quincy Jones said in a recent interview, but that he didn't want to become THAT black man (his father), & even though the means he used turned out to be sad & tragic, I think he felt it was his only option. And people do get addicted to plastic surgery, & seemingly can't stop, even when the results become obviously (to others) horrible.

The world has lost an incomparable talent, & his kids have lost an adoring father, the only parent they've ever known. I don't question that Katherine Jackson loves her grandkids (biological or not), but just their proximity to Joe Jackson makes me shudder. He, of course, just wants
Michael to make more money for him in death, as he did in his earlier life. I just hope someone looks out for those kids & loves them as Michael did. And I hope Michael Jackson has finally found the peace he never had in life.

Cheney Redux

Why in the world are people still listening to Dick(head) Cheney? We had 8 years of his bullshit, & it just about led us to the brink of doom. Of course, it's the media that's trying to shove him down our throats again, but apparently we're letting that happen. I guess electing President Obama was such a momentous feat, the American people have become too exhausted to actually follow through & tell the right-wing nutcases & Jesus freaks that their day is over. Or is it, really? Even some progressives have bitched about the president not doing enough to advance their agenda. Are they freaking kidding? Do they honestly think that 8 years of fucking everything up can be rectified in 4 months? Not even 4 years would be enough to right all the wrongs the Republicans subjected us to. The guy's not Superman (close, but not quite). If the Republicans still want Dick Cheney (who, in a more just world, would be in prison), to be their spokesman, that is beyond sad. It's insane.

President Obama has done more good in the short time he's been in office than probably any other president in recent history. One of the reasons is that he's a grown-up, & a very pragmatic one , at that. He talks to us as if we're on his intellectual level, even though very few of us actually are. The economic mess he inherited was caused by people (both Republicans & Democrats) who had no vision, no compassion, & no regard for history. Greed was all they understood, & as long as they got theirs, they could have given a crap about the rest of us. And to make things even worse, they governed (if you want to call it that) through fear, & Cheney was the embodiment of that. Actually, he was & is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with this country. So why does the media even give him the time of day? Since they haven't been doing their jobs of exposing all the bullshit during the last 8 years, I guess they're trying to gloss that over by riling things up & creating controversy where there is none. Cheney's policies & his methods of implementing them have been rebuffed & discredited, yet here he still is. Why won't they let them die the grisly death they deserve? Maybe President Obama hasn't done everything right, but he sure as hell hasn't done everything wrong like the previous administration. Bush was just a boob, a borderline-retarded moron with a mean streak- Cheney's puppet. Do some people just never learn? We should not be implicit in this campaign to resuscitate Cheney. Maybe Bush is smarter than we thought. At least he's keeping his mouth shut.

The Terrorization of "American Idol"

I guess the American people were ready for a black president, but not for a gay "American Idol". Man, they apparently can only accept so much. All those Jesus freaks with their pudgy little fingers voting for the "not gay" guy. Sure, Kris is cute & can sing pretty well, but he's sort of like a generic brand of cheese: bland, smooth, & easy to swallow. Adam Lambert was the most original & talented contestant ever on the show. This guy has star power just radiating out of him. His vocal range, his sometimes flamboyant costumes & makeup, & his stage presence were all unprecedented on this show. He can literally sing anything & make it sound original & interesting. Oh, I just found out he's Jewish, too, so that's another strike against him when it comes to the Holy Roller crowd. Notwithstanding the presidential election, the American people can apparently still act like morons when they want to.

The most interesting thing about the vote was that Adam was clearly not surprised by it. So, on top of all his other stellar qualities, he's also pretty bright & pragmatic (not unlike our new president). He's clearly going to be a star, so all he needed was some exposure to get the ball rolling. I just wonder why he waited so long to get on the show. Maybe he had some kind of personal deadline. Whatever the reason, I'm very happy he shared his talents with the American people, ignorant though they may be. So, despite a few exceptions (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, maybe David Cook), America voted for mediocrity again. The judges are so fond of saying that it's a singing competition, but it's clearly not. It's a popularity contest for the most unthreatening person who can carry a tune, who also has the right "values", which apparently do not include tolerance or acceptance.

Amen

We (America & particularly Ohio) didn't fuck it up this time. We finally got it right. Amen. Who didn't cry when they heard/ saw those words "Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States"? I still can barely believe it. What a transformative time to be alive. It's equal parts hope, pride & relief. Whether or not our new first lady was misquoted or misunderstood or whatever, I can also now finally say that I'm proud of our country & really, really proud of our incoming president. I've been so ashamed the last 8 years that the rest of the world, who really want to look up to America, have been unable to because we had the most ignorant, incompetant & completely clueless "leader" in our nation's history. I don't want a "C" student (& I'm being charitable here) as president. I want somebody smarter than me, someone brilliant, charismatic, intuitive, knowledgible & self-assured. We now have that, & more, in President-elect Obama. And what a role-model Michelle will be, a combination of Eleanor Roosevelt & Jackie Kennedy. So President Obama & his beautiful family will be
the face of America for the next 4, & hopefully 8 years. What a blessing for America & for the world.

Meet the Flintstones

I just read a report that Sarah Palin told a music teacher in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska in 1997 (shortly after being elected mayor of Wasilla) that she believes that humans & dinosaurs lived together on earth 6,000 years ago. She told Philip Munger, who teaches music at the University of Alaska, that she had "seen human footprints inside the tracks" of dinosaur fossils/tracks. This was after Palin had given a commencement address & Mr. Mauger had just conducted a college band, & they had struck up a conversation. I honest to God don't know what to say about this. Maybe- isn't it really scary that there's even a slim possibility that this woman would someday have access to the nuclear codes? Gee, thanks, McCain, I guess she's another example of you putting country first. Oh, by the way, what's going to happen on Thursday to prevent her from showing up at the VP debate?

Personal Experience

I've just found out first-hand that there are those in the hierarchy of the Catholic church who are very, very displeased with Sen. Joe Biden's position on reproductive rights (imagine that!), to the point that even buttons advocating the Obama/Biden ticket are being banned from being worn by employees of the church on church property. Sen. Biden is both a practicing Catholic & a pro-choice proponent, which I would guess is extremely common today. The ability to be both is a choice that at least some Catholic bishops are not willing to give Catholics; I guess the "don't ask, don't tell" policy started in the military regarding sexual identity has unfortunately trickled down to everyone who actually thinks for themselves in this area, also, especially those of us who work in any capacity for the church.

Nobody but a moron is "pro-abortion". Abortion is almost always the very last choice for the vast majority of women. I just wish everyone would get the language straight: it's "pro-choice" & "anti-choice", NOT "pro-abortion" & "pro-life". Everyone is "pro-life", & I resent that the phrase has been appropriated by the religious right. You can certainly be both morally opposed to abortion & still be pro-choice. It simply means that everyone can make up their own minds about the matter, without laws either prohibiting or advocating abortion. Why is that so difficult for people, especially the religious right, to understand? There are lots of things that are sins without being crimes. Apparently some people would prefer that we throw out the Constitution & replace it with the Ten Commandments. These are the same ignorant people who obviously are unaware that our country owes its very existence to the concept of separation of church & state.

So for those of us who are in the position of needing our jobs but are denied freedom of speech, I guess we just bite our tongues & resent the shit out of the authorities who deny it to us, & hope that this November we finally elect candidates who will give us a government that is genuinely responsive to & actually cares about all people, which has been so sorely lacking the last eight years. I, like Michelle Obama so rightly said (in spite of being forced to back down), would like to have a government & a country I can be proud of again, & a president who really represents the better angels of our natures that I can look up to, instead of being ashamed of. I mean, do you really want to be smarter than the leader of the free world? That's both sad & scary, & I hope never to experience it again in my lifetime. It all IS really up to us, & we can change the history of the world forever this November.