So speaks Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal, with regards to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
I must take exception with Mr. Rove for this pronouncement, if only because being a political operative, it's his job to paint the opposition in the most negative light he can, and let's face it -- it doesn't get any more negative than evoking the nightmare visions of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Rove, if given the opportunity and the confluence of different circumstances, might as well have made the point that this spill is "Obama's Holocaust" or "Obama's 9/11", if he could get away with it.
What Rove, and many on the political right seem to overlook is that Katrina, and the government response to it, doesn't lend itself to the same sort of political pretzel logic that this oil spill does. To begin with, this isn't a natural disaster; it's a man-made accident (or as Man-et Napolitano likes to say, "Man Caused Disaster"). Katrina was unavoidable, beyond the ability of man to predict and control. This spill probably was, or at least might have, been less-likely had major mistakes not been made. I say this with the full admission that I am not an expert on the oil industry and off-shore drilling, but from what's been reported thus far, there's a lot of "fell-asleep-at-the-switch" crap out there to give one this general impression.
Secondly, what Rove and the political right fail to recognize is that, unlike Katrina, there are no images of African-Americans too stupid to get out of the path of a hurricane they knew was coming, and watched on television as it crossed the Atlantic for two weeks -- before it finally made landfall. There are no heartbreaking images of children slogging through waist-deep sewage, no reports of gang warfare in the streets, no elderly folks left to die in abandoned nursing homes. There are no "victims" for Chris Matthews, Geraldo Rivera and Katie Couric to sermonize upon and to club a Republican President over the head with. The "outrage" is mostly coming from the predictable precincts: the environMENTAL fringe, James Carville, and the Gulf Tourism Industry, aided by Bobby Jindal (governor of Louisiana) and Mary Landrieu (Senator) who see it as an opportunity for even more federal funding to their state.
(As if FEMA air-dropping Krugerands in buckets into Louisiana post-Katrina -- there's a reason why New Orleans is 30' below sea-level and sinking ever-deeper, you know -- and Landrieu's $300 million Health-Care bribe wasn't enough? Look, you need to clean up that spill for obvious reasons, but dammit, when does the Federal Spigot get shut off?).
I defy any government, no matter how efficient, to deal with these sorts of issues, whether a Katrina-like storm, or a massive oil spill 5,000 feet under water. The problem for GWB post-Katrina is that the "victims" were mostly part of a supposedly-oppressed class which was reflexively trained to believe that "The Government" is supposed to "do something", and upon the discovery that "The Government" (starting with the Mayor of New Orleans and Governor of Louisiana) was unequal to the task, and when the Victim Class found itself stripped of even the simple self-preservation instinct, their resulting plight was that much easier to attribute to a lack of leadership and outright racism. Obama, personally, will not be tarred by this brush in the way that George W. Bush was; he will largely skate -- aided and abetted by the media which has an emotional and ideological investment in the man -- on the worst of the Katrina comparisons.
Where Obama will have problems with this situation is in some aspects of the federal response, such as it has been, and most of those will disappear as soon as a few heads roll. Obama is very good at deflecting criticism by throwing his friends under the bus, you'll remember. As for what that Federal Response has been, and why it's been so dismal, I postulate the following:
1) In this, as in most things, Obama is simply in over his head. Then again, when you present yourself as the Messiah, making such grand pronouncements as "This is the Moment When Global Warming Ends" and "this is the Moment When The Oceans Cease to Rise", well, you get what you deserve. I never expected Obama to part the waters -- or in this case just separate the oil from the water -- because I never had the sort of investment in the Cult of Personality that most Lefties do.
To be fair, it's difficult to expect Obama himself to have the answers to every problem, but you would think that he would at least have access to the best-and-brightest with the expertise to advise him in these situations. It's becoming clear that his best advisers are probably also infected with the same ideological stupidity as their leader; the initial response has been to find a way to make certain everyone knows BP is responsible, especially financially, and then reignite the dormant debate on the need for Green Energy programs. Some have said this has been the goal all along; that the government was going to do it's least so as to further justify the Green Boondoggle.
There's many reports of Obama and BP campaign cash, and the federal regulatory agencies involved with the oil industry being stuffed with to the rafters with porn-surfing, drug-taking, ticket-punchers who want an oil industry gig after their government "service" is ended. This is the modus operandi of every federal regulatory agency, by the way, and it's something that needs to stop. And I thought Obama was against giving Big Business the ability to sway elections and policies with huge campaign contributions? After all, he did call out the Supreme Court on just this notion. If so, how did BP's cash wind up in his wallet? Corruption -- all the way down the line, but mostly within government -- seems to be the common thread that runs through most major disasters (Oil Spills, Financial Crisis, etc.), nowadays.
2) The Greenie Meanies in the Administration may have disrupted or interfered with initial spill responses because of competing environMENTAL agendas; The initial NOAA-approved plan for a controlled burn may have been halted because the EPA was concerned about elevated air pollution levels, or the effect on fisheries. The ability to build sand berms to keep the oil from reaching shore are hung up in EPA red tape over impact statements. In no small part, certain aspects of this disaster are a direct result of The Greenie Meanies and their dumbass Global Warming Cult; they have advocated for tougher regulations for decades (which apparently aren't enforced by the masturbating junkies in government "service", or which can be side-stepped with a campaign contribution), which has pushed the oil industry to drill in ever-deeper waters, further from the coast (because we don't wish to inconvenience caribou, or a few dozen Eskimos, or ruin some summer-vacationers ocean view), so that when disaster strikes, the conditions under which present-day off-shore drilling is conducted make it impossible to swiftly respond.
If you think an oil spill is already hard enough to contain and clean up on dry land or enclosed waters, try containing one 5,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. BP may be in deep shit, as it were, but it was the Tree Huggers, in part, who forced them into deeper water, into taking greater risks, and into pushing the boundaries of modern engineering to this extent. The Green Assholes will never admit their complicity in this disaster, but to them responsibility is always something for other people to exercise and accept, isn't it? This spill is (almost) a direct result of paying Tree-Hugging Retards far too much attention, and exempting government from the same levels of accountability that hold sway in the Private Sector.
Some have gone as far as to say that the Federal Government has conspired NOT to act, so that the Oil Industry can be demonized in much the same way as Wall Street was.
As I write this, President Odickhead is back on television -- and the first words out his mouth are "The Government has been in charge since Day One" and "BP is responsible for this mess". He's already saying that off-shore exploration is being halted, and is setting the case for further government intervention in the industry. The last 37 days belie the "Day One-assertion" made by the Obama Administration, and the rest of this speech is simply the setting-up of the legal framework which will explode into the rationales behind a further restriction of freedoms and commerce. New regulations, Blue-Ribbon Panels and government organizations are on the way -- because this is the solution to every problem on Earth, you know -- which will raise energy prices and hurt an already-anemic economy. These but make Lefties feel better about themselves but will do nothing about reducing American dependence on foreign oil, or meet the energy needs of the country. We're about to further destroy economic progress for the sake of a few thousand windmills that won't work (and which the Greenie Meanies will cry to shut off because they kill birds in the thousands).
You know, none of this would have happened if they were just drilling in ANWAR, already.
Our country is being micromanaged by complete and utter retards who haven't got a clue. On anything. Worse, they are being directed by even bigger retards with agendas. If this disaster hasn't driven that home to you, I don't know what will --short of another 9/11.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I Thought It Was Supposed to Be The History Channel?
Just a minor complaint about what passes for the History Channel these days. For the last two weeks -- apart from one actual historical documentary, but more on that later -- all that's been on is nothing but Aliens and Prophecy, 24/7. Aliens brought civilization to planet Earth. Aliens are still watching over us. Aliens taught Mankind to roll over and bark. The Anti-Christ is Here, and Nostradamus was God. UFO's abound on the History Channel, and by my calculations, about a quarter of the broadcast day is now devoted to Alien-based programming, prophecy, The End of the World, and the extinction of Man.
It would seem to me that the extinction of Man would, necessarily, mean an end to History (as we know it), and so I can't understand why the History Channel puts this sort of stuff on, except that it pulls in the viewers who might have graduated beyond Jersey Shore, and who can actually read without moving their lips. Then, there's all the Nostradamus shows which try to show that Nostradamus might have been right, or which advocate for the existence of a Bible Code which predicts all the great disasters and Historical Events of Our Time...and always the "proof" is only available after the fact. No one ever comes forward with a prophecy or Bible code that gives any forewarning of anything -- which might actually be useful. It's funny how the "hidden messages" in Scripture and Nostradamus only make sense in retrospect. Then again, if I wrote today that in the future there will be gay, flamenco-dancing hedgehogs who speak Flemish, and circumstance and coincidence, and the passage of 4,000 years, might actually conspire to make it sorta-kinda-true-depending-on-how-future-generations-interpret-it. In the meantime, I'll either be derided as a lunatic for having made such a prediction -- or a misunderstood genius. Either of which is good enough to get me 2 hours a week of programming on the History Channel, after I'm dead and penniless, of course. All prophets somehow manage to die penniless and forgotten, you know.
Then again, with all the brainless clods running around thinking the Mayan Prophecy of a 2012 Apocalypse is probably true, what should we expect? I mean, the History Channel is only doing what any other business in America does, and pandering to the lowest common denominator. Here's what I have to say to all of those who believe in this crap: if the Mayans were so freakin' smart, how come they're not here anymore? You would have thought they would have been able to predict their own demise via Smallpox, Syphilis and Spanish steel, no?
And when it isn't raining Little Green Men, Conspiracy Theory, and the Apocalypse over at the History Channel, it's nothing but "reality" television which is certainly lacking in much, if any, historical angle. In this, I'm referring to shows like Life After People, Ax Men, Tougher in Alaska, Ice Road Truckers and the newest load of garbage, Pawn Stars, in which the owners of a Pawn Shop are followed about by cameras as they try to discern the authenticity of all sorts of things which might have no historical significance whatsoever. The historical connection of anything on the show seems to be an afterthought. It's like Antiques Roadshow -- only "edgier" and with tattoos. A PBS-lite teledrama for those with beer bellies and a taste for tuna salad. The same goes for American Pickers (about two guys who rummage through people's trash and attics, salvaging little bits of Americana), which is utter crap, in my opinion.
It would be nice to get some actual History back on the History Channel. Which brings us to the only morsel of real history shown on the History Channel all month.
America: The Story of Us. If you can manage to hold your dinner down during the (required) squishy, Progressive, multi-culti-pieties portions (thankfully, they're short and scattered about), there's something approaching an honest-to-goodness accurate rendering of American history. If the History Channel did more of this sort of programming, it might not have to resort to Conspiracy Theory, Aliens and Chumlee the Lovable Retard down at the Pawn Shop.
If you haven't seen America yet, then I implore you to do so before it gets replaced with more "reality" shows involving chainsaws, and DaVinci Code knockoffs.
Anyways, it's just me, but I think anything which bills itself as The History Channel should actually show something, you know, historical.
It would seem to me that the extinction of Man would, necessarily, mean an end to History (as we know it), and so I can't understand why the History Channel puts this sort of stuff on, except that it pulls in the viewers who might have graduated beyond Jersey Shore, and who can actually read without moving their lips. Then, there's all the Nostradamus shows which try to show that Nostradamus might have been right, or which advocate for the existence of a Bible Code which predicts all the great disasters and Historical Events of Our Time...and always the "proof" is only available after the fact. No one ever comes forward with a prophecy or Bible code that gives any forewarning of anything -- which might actually be useful. It's funny how the "hidden messages" in Scripture and Nostradamus only make sense in retrospect. Then again, if I wrote today that in the future there will be gay, flamenco-dancing hedgehogs who speak Flemish, and circumstance and coincidence, and the passage of 4,000 years, might actually conspire to make it sorta-kinda-true-depending-on-how-future-generations-interpret-it. In the meantime, I'll either be derided as a lunatic for having made such a prediction -- or a misunderstood genius. Either of which is good enough to get me 2 hours a week of programming on the History Channel, after I'm dead and penniless, of course. All prophets somehow manage to die penniless and forgotten, you know.
Then again, with all the brainless clods running around thinking the Mayan Prophecy of a 2012 Apocalypse is probably true, what should we expect? I mean, the History Channel is only doing what any other business in America does, and pandering to the lowest common denominator. Here's what I have to say to all of those who believe in this crap: if the Mayans were so freakin' smart, how come they're not here anymore? You would have thought they would have been able to predict their own demise via Smallpox, Syphilis and Spanish steel, no?
And when it isn't raining Little Green Men, Conspiracy Theory, and the Apocalypse over at the History Channel, it's nothing but "reality" television which is certainly lacking in much, if any, historical angle. In this, I'm referring to shows like Life After People, Ax Men, Tougher in Alaska, Ice Road Truckers and the newest load of garbage, Pawn Stars, in which the owners of a Pawn Shop are followed about by cameras as they try to discern the authenticity of all sorts of things which might have no historical significance whatsoever. The historical connection of anything on the show seems to be an afterthought. It's like Antiques Roadshow -- only "edgier" and with tattoos. A PBS-lite teledrama for those with beer bellies and a taste for tuna salad. The same goes for American Pickers (about two guys who rummage through people's trash and attics, salvaging little bits of Americana), which is utter crap, in my opinion.
It would be nice to get some actual History back on the History Channel. Which brings us to the only morsel of real history shown on the History Channel all month.
America: The Story of Us. If you can manage to hold your dinner down during the (required) squishy, Progressive, multi-culti-pieties portions (thankfully, they're short and scattered about), there's something approaching an honest-to-goodness accurate rendering of American history. If the History Channel did more of this sort of programming, it might not have to resort to Conspiracy Theory, Aliens and Chumlee the Lovable Retard down at the Pawn Shop.
If you haven't seen America yet, then I implore you to do so before it gets replaced with more "reality" shows involving chainsaws, and DaVinci Code knockoffs.
Anyways, it's just me, but I think anything which bills itself as The History Channel should actually show something, you know, historical.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Lunatic Contemplates a Career Change...Seeks advice...
Okay, so you pretty much know how difficult it is to find work in the Programming field when those jobs are rapidly disappearing, and who the hell wants to do minimum-wage or work-on-commission bullshit when you've got bills to pay, and now some expensive medical care to pay for?
I thought about changing careers before, but I've only recently been looking into it seriously. See, I used to be a System's Programmer, and before that a Computer Operator, and those where some high-skilled jobs. Once upon a time. But nowadays, automation has reduced the need for actual people, and outsourcing has ruined the job market for the higher-end skills.
And adding insult to injury, I don't have a degree. I never studied computer programming, computer science. In my day, the only people who did that were suckers who wanted to be saddled with the debt of a college loan to pay back. "Back in the Day" you learned by doing; millions of people started out in Operations, where they learned the principles behind large-scale data processing. Along the way, they were often given specialized training by their employers (on all aspects of data processing), and then they moved into different areas (programming, communications, data storage, etc) as they gained the experience. There were no schools to really teach people the skills they needed to enter the field at that time.
Nowadays, you can't get in the front door without an expensive piece of paper that basically says "I'm an idiot, but I was able to parrot whatever my professors -- who know even less than I do -- said faithfully...and oh yeah, I'm desperate, so underpay me, please?" And, like I said, the field has imploded because of the "progress" made in the field of automation (I used to be an Automation Programmer, so there you go!).
So, I've come to the conclusion that while I might have marketable skills (albeit, in a diminishing market), I don't really have a trade. It's not really so much a career, as it used to be, but more like having a job...if you can even land one. There really isn't much difference between the modern IT worker and the Assembly Line Worker anymore, except for pay-scale (the Unionized just-barely-finished-high-school knuckledragger -- who's still slightly smarter than the college graduate -- is still overpaid, considering his job is even more heavily autmoated than mine is).
So, I thought about it. Change is good, right? So, what to do? Real Estate? Are you kidding? This market isn't coming back for at least a decade, maybe more. Manual trade, like electrician or construction? No way; I'm old, have a bad back and giving me tools is like letting retards run free in a nuclear plant. I am NOT handy. Whenever I fix something, I have parts left over and then wind up hiring professional help anyway.
I thought about learning to cut hair, if you must know. Becoming a barber --excuse me -- Stylist, seemed like a good idea. People will always spend money on personal grooming, and some people are dumb enough to be quite vain, and so spend more. But then I thought about having to rub elbows with that many homosexuals, and that idea was shot down. I spent 20 years surrounded by homosexuals on Wall Street, and I don't think I could take that much drama in my old age. It made me vomit 20 years ago because of the over-the-top campiness some gays exhibit, and I'd probably end up beating someone bloody now. Not because I hate homosexuals, but because I can't stand people who whine incessantly about a lifestyle that involves both a violation of a Cardinal Rule of Nature -- Your Rectum was Purposely-Designed to be Exit-Only -- but which also requires people to know entirely too much about shoes, make-up, proper skin care and Oprah, without your actually having to be a chick.
I just couldn't make up my mind. Enter my four-year-old nephew, who planted the seed during playtime. We were playing with his Play-Doh Bakery. He would ask me what sort of cake, cookies or pies I wanted, and he would whip them up out of Play-Doh. Where it got interesting was the creative aspect of it.
Because after you run the gamut of "the Standards" (Apple, Peach, Lemon, Blueberry, Cherry, Mince, Pumpkin and so forth), in order to keep a 4-year-old entertained and engaged, you must start making up new sorts of pies on the spot...and boy, was my imagination fertile that day!
And then it dawned on me: Baker and Pastry Chef. Not only a Trade, but pretty honorable Profession, at that. So, I've done some research, and I can get some Federal retraining money,and there's a load of good Culinary Arts programs around here, and the best part, you can be certified in about 18-24 months, so why not? Better than leaping from job-to-job, ain't it?
Except that I don't know any bakers/pastry chefs, so I'm unable to find out if it's worth the effort. I mean, is it satisfying work (I would think it is)? What exactly is involved in getting your certification? Anything I should know about culinary arts programs before I get in over my head?
So, if there's anyone reading this who is engaged in the Culinary Arts, or knows someone who is, please give me some advice before I go ahead and sign up. I still have some time to commit, both for the re-training grant, and before applications are being taken for the culinary program at a local college.
You can drop your suggestions/advice at Excelsior502@gmail.com. Please address your note with the subject "Baker/Pastry Chef". Thank you!
I thought about changing careers before, but I've only recently been looking into it seriously. See, I used to be a System's Programmer, and before that a Computer Operator, and those where some high-skilled jobs. Once upon a time. But nowadays, automation has reduced the need for actual people, and outsourcing has ruined the job market for the higher-end skills.
And adding insult to injury, I don't have a degree. I never studied computer programming, computer science. In my day, the only people who did that were suckers who wanted to be saddled with the debt of a college loan to pay back. "Back in the Day" you learned by doing; millions of people started out in Operations, where they learned the principles behind large-scale data processing. Along the way, they were often given specialized training by their employers (on all aspects of data processing), and then they moved into different areas (programming, communications, data storage, etc) as they gained the experience. There were no schools to really teach people the skills they needed to enter the field at that time.
Nowadays, you can't get in the front door without an expensive piece of paper that basically says "I'm an idiot, but I was able to parrot whatever my professors -- who know even less than I do -- said faithfully...and oh yeah, I'm desperate, so underpay me, please?" And, like I said, the field has imploded because of the "progress" made in the field of automation (I used to be an Automation Programmer, so there you go!).
So, I've come to the conclusion that while I might have marketable skills (albeit, in a diminishing market), I don't really have a trade. It's not really so much a career, as it used to be, but more like having a job...if you can even land one. There really isn't much difference between the modern IT worker and the Assembly Line Worker anymore, except for pay-scale (the Unionized just-barely-finished-high-school knuckledragger -- who's still slightly smarter than the college graduate -- is still overpaid, considering his job is even more heavily autmoated than mine is).
So, I thought about it. Change is good, right? So, what to do? Real Estate? Are you kidding? This market isn't coming back for at least a decade, maybe more. Manual trade, like electrician or construction? No way; I'm old, have a bad back and giving me tools is like letting retards run free in a nuclear plant. I am NOT handy. Whenever I fix something, I have parts left over and then wind up hiring professional help anyway.
I thought about learning to cut hair, if you must know. Becoming a barber --excuse me -- Stylist, seemed like a good idea. People will always spend money on personal grooming, and some people are dumb enough to be quite vain, and so spend more. But then I thought about having to rub elbows with that many homosexuals, and that idea was shot down. I spent 20 years surrounded by homosexuals on Wall Street, and I don't think I could take that much drama in my old age. It made me vomit 20 years ago because of the over-the-top campiness some gays exhibit, and I'd probably end up beating someone bloody now. Not because I hate homosexuals, but because I can't stand people who whine incessantly about a lifestyle that involves both a violation of a Cardinal Rule of Nature -- Your Rectum was Purposely-Designed to be Exit-Only -- but which also requires people to know entirely too much about shoes, make-up, proper skin care and Oprah, without your actually having to be a chick.
I just couldn't make up my mind. Enter my four-year-old nephew, who planted the seed during playtime. We were playing with his Play-Doh Bakery. He would ask me what sort of cake, cookies or pies I wanted, and he would whip them up out of Play-Doh. Where it got interesting was the creative aspect of it.
Because after you run the gamut of "the Standards" (Apple, Peach, Lemon, Blueberry, Cherry, Mince, Pumpkin and so forth), in order to keep a 4-year-old entertained and engaged, you must start making up new sorts of pies on the spot...and boy, was my imagination fertile that day!
And then it dawned on me: Baker and Pastry Chef. Not only a Trade, but pretty honorable Profession, at that. So, I've done some research, and I can get some Federal retraining money,and there's a load of good Culinary Arts programs around here, and the best part, you can be certified in about 18-24 months, so why not? Better than leaping from job-to-job, ain't it?
Except that I don't know any bakers/pastry chefs, so I'm unable to find out if it's worth the effort. I mean, is it satisfying work (I would think it is)? What exactly is involved in getting your certification? Anything I should know about culinary arts programs before I get in over my head?
So, if there's anyone reading this who is engaged in the Culinary Arts, or knows someone who is, please give me some advice before I go ahead and sign up. I still have some time to commit, both for the re-training grant, and before applications are being taken for the culinary program at a local college.
You can drop your suggestions/advice at Excelsior502@gmail.com. Please address your note with the subject "Baker/Pastry Chef". Thank you!
The Archdiocese of New York Did What???
Because they've invaded my neighborhood. The Great Unwashed Muslim Horde is now attempting to build a new base of operations -- less than 1.5 miles from Lunatic Central. In what used to be a Catholic convent, no less.
We already have to suffer the indignity of a mosque going up in the shadow of Ground Zero (the scheduled opening for that monstrosity -- I shit you not-- is supposed to be set for September 11th. The fucking nerve of these people!). And the one that's now about to pollute my neighborhood is being built on a section of street that was re-named in honor of a FDNY Captain... killed on September 11th.
You know, I keep hearing Muslims complaining loudly that their sensibilities are constantly under assault by bigoted Christians and Jews (hey, I make no bones about it; I hate every fucking Sand Nigger on the Planet), and how their feelings continuously crushed by insensitive Westerners. But then again, they bring it upon themselves because they believe themselves to be entitled to insult us with impunity. You would think that a (fake) religion that likes to try to portray itself as promoting peace, understanding and universal brotherhood would try to take the high road sometimes, instead of opening mosques in places where the memory of the greatest mass murder ever on American soil took place, or in places associated with that disgusting tragedy.
They continue to incite us, because, well, they probably think it's funny. They consider it "getting some of their own back", I suppose, and even more of them consider it a religious duty to be assholes, I reckon. Then again, if there really were "moderate" Muslims, the one's everyone keeps looking for, but won't find, perhaps there would be a little sensitivity to the wounds of September 11th. Perhaps they'd realize that we don't find it a date worthy of commemoration in any but the saddest of contexts.
But of course, they won't ever see it our way. Because if there's anything you count upon in this life -- besides Barack Obama being a pansy-ass Commie cocksucker with a desk full of pre-signed apology forms addressed "To Whom It May Concern" -- it's that Muslims have no conception of either good taste or fairness. It's a genetic defect. These two mosques are designed to incite hard feelings, rather than eliminate them. They are intended to insult, and to re-open the wounds. They are monuments to the greatest Muslim accomplishment of the last 1,200 years.
And what, exactly, was that accomplishment?
It was the murder of 3,000 innocent people, all taken unawares, and unable to defend themselves. This counts as courage in the Muslim world, and is an event deemed a major victory for the Religion Of Peace. Sick motherfuckers, every last one of them. It's why their culture is ultimately doomed... that and the DNA-destroying practice of Cousin Marriage.
But I think they're about to find they've gone a bit too far, this time. Say what you want about Staten Island (everyone makes us the butt of their jokes, but they don't really know who we are and what we're about), but Staten Islanders fight. Well. This "community center" will never see the light of day. We'll do something here that the President of the United States won't do, and actually defeat terrorists with open opposition.
In the meantime, I have to seriously question the actions, motivations and agenda of the Archdiocese of New York in (allegedly) letting a parish priest handle the sale of this property, and then do so in a way that has alienated the community at large. It's being reported that the property is being sold for less than actual market value, and that local builders did, in fact, offer fair market value and were rebuffed. I'm shocked and appalled that the Catholic Church would turn over a convent to agents of the Muslim faith, in what appears to be such a cavalier manner; it just defies belief. I'm hoping our local reporters do some more digging and get to the truth of this matter, but if I had to guess, based on my extensive experience with Roman Catholicism and the Archdiocese of New York, the Muzzies could probably line up the financing ASAP. It's almost as if you should expect to see the "INRI" over the crucified Christ replaced by '$$$$'.
I wouldn't be surprised to find Saudi money involved somewhere in the project, as well.
So, I'm getting ready for the Big Show here, people. This neighborhood will soon be swarming with would-be suicide bombers if this deal goes through, and I don't intend to just let them wander around. I'm keeping both eyes and ears open, and I'll be watching every pile of walking dirty laundry extra-carefully.
We already have to suffer the indignity of a mosque going up in the shadow of Ground Zero (the scheduled opening for that monstrosity -- I shit you not-- is supposed to be set for September 11th. The fucking nerve of these people!). And the one that's now about to pollute my neighborhood is being built on a section of street that was re-named in honor of a FDNY Captain... killed on September 11th.
You know, I keep hearing Muslims complaining loudly that their sensibilities are constantly under assault by bigoted Christians and Jews (hey, I make no bones about it; I hate every fucking Sand Nigger on the Planet), and how their feelings continuously crushed by insensitive Westerners. But then again, they bring it upon themselves because they believe themselves to be entitled to insult us with impunity. You would think that a (fake) religion that likes to try to portray itself as promoting peace, understanding and universal brotherhood would try to take the high road sometimes, instead of opening mosques in places where the memory of the greatest mass murder ever on American soil took place, or in places associated with that disgusting tragedy.
They continue to incite us, because, well, they probably think it's funny. They consider it "getting some of their own back", I suppose, and even more of them consider it a religious duty to be assholes, I reckon. Then again, if there really were "moderate" Muslims, the one's everyone keeps looking for, but won't find, perhaps there would be a little sensitivity to the wounds of September 11th. Perhaps they'd realize that we don't find it a date worthy of commemoration in any but the saddest of contexts.
But of course, they won't ever see it our way. Because if there's anything you count upon in this life -- besides Barack Obama being a pansy-ass Commie cocksucker with a desk full of pre-signed apology forms addressed "To Whom It May Concern" -- it's that Muslims have no conception of either good taste or fairness. It's a genetic defect. These two mosques are designed to incite hard feelings, rather than eliminate them. They are intended to insult, and to re-open the wounds. They are monuments to the greatest Muslim accomplishment of the last 1,200 years.
And what, exactly, was that accomplishment?
It was the murder of 3,000 innocent people, all taken unawares, and unable to defend themselves. This counts as courage in the Muslim world, and is an event deemed a major victory for the Religion Of Peace. Sick motherfuckers, every last one of them. It's why their culture is ultimately doomed... that and the DNA-destroying practice of Cousin Marriage.
But I think they're about to find they've gone a bit too far, this time. Say what you want about Staten Island (everyone makes us the butt of their jokes, but they don't really know who we are and what we're about), but Staten Islanders fight. Well. This "community center" will never see the light of day. We'll do something here that the President of the United States won't do, and actually defeat terrorists with open opposition.
In the meantime, I have to seriously question the actions, motivations and agenda of the Archdiocese of New York in (allegedly) letting a parish priest handle the sale of this property, and then do so in a way that has alienated the community at large. It's being reported that the property is being sold for less than actual market value, and that local builders did, in fact, offer fair market value and were rebuffed. I'm shocked and appalled that the Catholic Church would turn over a convent to agents of the Muslim faith, in what appears to be such a cavalier manner; it just defies belief. I'm hoping our local reporters do some more digging and get to the truth of this matter, but if I had to guess, based on my extensive experience with Roman Catholicism and the Archdiocese of New York, the Muzzies could probably line up the financing ASAP. It's almost as if you should expect to see the "INRI" over the crucified Christ replaced by '$$$$'.
I wouldn't be surprised to find Saudi money involved somewhere in the project, as well.
So, I'm getting ready for the Big Show here, people. This neighborhood will soon be swarming with would-be suicide bombers if this deal goes through, and I don't intend to just let them wander around. I'm keeping both eyes and ears open, and I'll be watching every pile of walking dirty laundry extra-carefully.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Waiting for Someone To Yell "Nigger!"...
With regards to the fears of "racial profiling" that have been voiced over the new Arizona immigration law;
Boo-frickin'-hoo!
We have Muslim guys driving explosive-laden SUV's around my Hometown, shooting up our military bases, trying to blow up airliners with their underwear, and trying their level-best to kill thousands of innocents, but to mention the conjunction of so many extraordinary coincidences (terrorist, person of color, Muslim) is taboo in a way that it will get you rebuked and vilified by Keith Olberman and the Attorney General of the United States.
We have African-American guys running around New York City in colored bandannas, flashing gang signs, running drugs and shooting each other up in the open, but if you should happen to draw parallels between dress, race, and activities, you're engaging in stereotyping, which is bad juju -- even if it happens to be provably true. Reverend Al and Charles Baron, and a legion of brain-dead welfare recipients,will be on your doorstep for daring to point out the glaringly obvious, to threaten and harass you with impunity...and lots of media attention.
As Ann Coulter has said forever (paraphrasing), you can't use racial profiling to catch criminals/terrorists -- but somehow it's perfectly alright to use it to determine who gets into Harvard Law.
Racial Profiling is a fact of life (because it works!). However, the only people in America who can be safely (free from criticism and lawsuit) racially profiled nowadays are usually Conservative Caucasian Males. You'd think otherwise from all the Sturm und Drang of the "Oppressed Classes", but this is now all too obviously true. Need proof? Try this one on for size:
We now know that the last failed attempt to blow up New York City was made by a Pakistani immigrant, who is now suspected of having ties to the Pakistani Army, and who trained in an Al'Qaeda training camp. He has traveled to Pakistan several times in the last few years, often staying for months at a time. He has ties to a known radical Islamic "cleric". To suggest that Islam and Terrorism go hand-in-glove will get you morally censored in Polite Society. But, if you listened to the news reports in during the crisis, everyone from the dopey anchors at MSNBC, to the Obamatards at DHS. to the Mayor (Bloomberg), and a U.S. Senator (Schumer), were insisting that the attempted bomber just HAD to be a disgruntled white guy who "fit the description" which went something like this:
Extreme Right winger, middle-aged White male loner, probably in the Tea Party movement, and disgruntled by the Enlightened Policies of God...errr...Barak Obama.
Except for the one U.S. Congressman (King) who broke formation to say the perpetrator was just pissed off at South Park. I'm glad we have such Rhodes Scholars running the country.
They all did/said these things within a few hours (sometimes minutes) of the attempt, before any facts had come into their possession. It was speculation, and it's indicative of the stupidity that is prevalent amongst our "Ruling Classes", and also the complete, upside-down nature of the racial debate in America these days; you can, without proof, pin the blame on a non-existent wacky White Guy, but don't you dare to suggest that crowd of black teenagers walking behind you with menace might not be on their way home from choir practice, or that a bomb left in a high-profile target area might be the work of Islamic Extremists. Nowadays, the assumption of complete innocence is being bestowed upon Hispanics with regards to Immigration. It's "their turn", I guess.
It's perfectly acceptable in Today's America to profile the White Guy as the Greatest Danger (wasn't it the Obama Administration's Homeland Security folks who warned the greatest danger to American is the returning PTSD-addled Iraq War veteran?), but the Border Crosser is just a hard-working soul who means no harm to society. During the last attempted NYC bombing there were careless references to Tim McVeigh, the Klan, White Militias, the (now apparently-innocent) Hutaree made, before the Chattering Classes finally had to confess their disappointment that the culprit was, indeed, another Person of Color of Indeterminate Religious Persuasion. The same people find it easy to criticize Whitey with no proof of being racist, but conveniently neglect the kidnappings, drug running, human trafficking, rampant crime and overflowing emergency rooms that characterizes much of the Illegal Immigration question. The Media and our Politicians link everyone with an opinion that runs counter to Obama's Blessed Vision as a bomb-throwing extremist -- but they all look as if they're about to wet themselves if they have to say the words "Radical Islam", "Black Criminal" or "Illegal Alien".
Concerning "Racial Profiling"; there was a time in America when the police using "profiling" was known by another name. It used to be called "The Cops Doing Their Jobs", and it was a useful tool in the fight against crime. All police officers profile (don't let anyone tell you differently); it's all about recognizing certain patterns of behavior and and circumstances and then drawing inferences from them based upon experience. They just "know" that certain people who fit a certain profile are probably involved in something wrong.
Are the cops always right? No. Sometimes that scantily clad woman at the stoplight, talking up the stopped motorists, is really just a chick who's car broke down on the way to a costume party, and she's trying to beg a ride. Sometimes, that guy in the hoodie didn't steal the television he's carrying; he just brought over to his friend's house so they could watch the big game on a sweeter rig. Sometimes, the black guy in dreadlocks in the High-end Mercedes isn't a drug dealer, but the son of a prominent doctor. The Cops can sometimes be wrong, but they are usually correct much more often.
The idea that the police "harass" certain groups of people for "doing nothing" (euphemism: "driving while _______" or "doing a job an American won't do") is a false one. If a police officer is hassling you, he probably has a reason to do so (unless he's a complete wackjob). Most cops have better things to do than the extra paperwork, and their job is already dangerous and unpredictable enough as it is, without having to actually manufacture more danger by instigating something without a reason. But, we're getting off the real topic here.
There is a segment of the population, prevalent amongst the old "Civil Rights" set, which has long made a living off of creating a controversy where none exists, a phenomenon I've heard referred to as "Waiting for Someone To Yell Nigger". It basically means there are people out there who are entirely all-too-ready to put a racial spin on anything in order to exploit the grievance gravy train, or the political spoils system. People like this are like ambush predators; they lay in wait, until someone strays from the herd of Political Correctness, to say or do something which can be (deliberately) misconstrued, just so they can file a lawsuit, start a picket line, twist a congresscritter's arm, riot in the streets, and make someone (usually White Guys) "pay". If no one obliges them and actually yells "Nigger!", then they try to find some way to insinuate that you're at least thinking it and everybody knows it, anyway (i.e. Institutional Racism).
It's a well-established pattern, and it's been made use of by every political/racial group on the planet -- Blacks, Feminists, Gays, American Indians, Muslims -- and now it about to be used by Hispanics in regard to this new Arizona Immigration Law.
You know how you can tell this is one of those times when outrage is being manufactured for political gain? When the three people who should be the most concerned about the subject -- The President of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Secretary of Homeland Security -- can all admit they haven't read the law, but they feel the need to scream "racism!" before it even goes into effect, and expect to be taken seriously.
The scheme is based upon the old adage that the "Squeaky Wheel Always Gets the Grease".
Well, the Squeaky Wheels have been greased so often that each successive Squeak has -- by necessity - to be louder and more outrageous than the last, and many of the more infamous attempts of recent years have quickly been exposed for what they were; shams and contrivances of convenience. This only makes the folks with the Grease all the less likely to applying it tot he next Squeaky Wheel. The Squeaking over Illegal Immigration is about to get louder, and shriller, and expect to see those who disagree with the view that it's perfectly legal to violate a nation's sovereignty, and then steal from it, get further tarred with the Racist label, and worse. Those who want the problem of illegal immigration fixed, for good, will be called Nazi, Fascist, Baby Killer, Puppy Kicker, Slave Master, and far worse. The Pro-Immigration side will engage in the basest of stereotyping and racial profiling -- all the while claiming the moral high ground and accusing their opponents of the same. The hyperbole will completely destroy the credibility of their own arguments, but it won't really matter; they'll still be taken seriously by the Press and political establishment -- which largely agrees with or earns a living off of them, will cover for them, or which maybe even does their bidding.
After all, we all know how terrible White Guys are...all potential terrorists, you know.
The Squeaky Wheels have yet to realize that The Only People in America You Can Racially Profile Safely in the United States have run out of Grease, and are considering a search for a new Wheel. This might be the last chance to put the White Guy in his place for a long time to come, if ever. The Other Side hasn't realized that the old arguments about "racism" are on their last legs. Those arguments worked when society was still capable of feeling guilt and shame, and when there was an actual moral foundation to the charges. But not anymore. Few nowadays, are ever responsible for anything. Few are expected to take the feelings and needs of their fellow citizens into consideration anymore. The Race Card had been played until its gotten all ragged, and dog-eared and faded, and you see it coming out of the deck before it's ever dealt.
People are hurting economically, our Government is about to spend us all into eternal poverty -- when it doesn't plan to steal from us -- our lives are being regimented and re-ordered like never before, our activities are being scrutinized like never before. The people who have been put upon the most in order to build Brave New World -- the ones who actually pay for it -- are fed up. It just a coincidence that the first test will be over Illegal Immigration.
So expect White Guy to push back -- on immigration, on affirmative action, gay marriage, on a range of issues in which White Guy is simply expected to surrender his rights and freedoms, and cash, and someone else gets to enjoy the benefits just because they can cry louder. That won't work anymore.
We've reached a point in American history where White Guy is sick of being portrayed as a lunatic fringer, of being blamed for every evil past, present, and future, and tired of being set upon by politicians, pundits, racial hucksters and tax collectors. His ears have been wearied by those who scream about their "rights", and somehow forget that White Guy is supposed to have some, too
The next time I see eleven Mexicans in a rusty van, I'm calling the cops. You've been warned. Yelling "Beaner!" is a tactic that simply won't work anymore.
Boo-frickin'-hoo!
We have Muslim guys driving explosive-laden SUV's around my Hometown, shooting up our military bases, trying to blow up airliners with their underwear, and trying their level-best to kill thousands of innocents, but to mention the conjunction of so many extraordinary coincidences (terrorist, person of color, Muslim) is taboo in a way that it will get you rebuked and vilified by Keith Olberman and the Attorney General of the United States.
We have African-American guys running around New York City in colored bandannas, flashing gang signs, running drugs and shooting each other up in the open, but if you should happen to draw parallels between dress, race, and activities, you're engaging in stereotyping, which is bad juju -- even if it happens to be provably true. Reverend Al and Charles Baron, and a legion of brain-dead welfare recipients,will be on your doorstep for daring to point out the glaringly obvious, to threaten and harass you with impunity...and lots of media attention.
As Ann Coulter has said forever (paraphrasing), you can't use racial profiling to catch criminals/terrorists -- but somehow it's perfectly alright to use it to determine who gets into Harvard Law.
Racial Profiling is a fact of life (because it works!). However, the only people in America who can be safely (free from criticism and lawsuit) racially profiled nowadays are usually Conservative Caucasian Males. You'd think otherwise from all the Sturm und Drang of the "Oppressed Classes", but this is now all too obviously true. Need proof? Try this one on for size:
We now know that the last failed attempt to blow up New York City was made by a Pakistani immigrant, who is now suspected of having ties to the Pakistani Army, and who trained in an Al'Qaeda training camp. He has traveled to Pakistan several times in the last few years, often staying for months at a time. He has ties to a known radical Islamic "cleric". To suggest that Islam and Terrorism go hand-in-glove will get you morally censored in Polite Society. But, if you listened to the news reports in during the crisis, everyone from the dopey anchors at MSNBC, to the Obamatards at DHS. to the Mayor (Bloomberg), and a U.S. Senator (Schumer), were insisting that the attempted bomber just HAD to be a disgruntled white guy who "fit the description" which went something like this:
Extreme Right winger, middle-aged White male loner, probably in the Tea Party movement, and disgruntled by the Enlightened Policies of God...errr...Barak Obama.
Except for the one U.S. Congressman (King) who broke formation to say the perpetrator was just pissed off at South Park. I'm glad we have such Rhodes Scholars running the country.
They all did/said these things within a few hours (sometimes minutes) of the attempt, before any facts had come into their possession. It was speculation, and it's indicative of the stupidity that is prevalent amongst our "Ruling Classes", and also the complete, upside-down nature of the racial debate in America these days; you can, without proof, pin the blame on a non-existent wacky White Guy, but don't you dare to suggest that crowd of black teenagers walking behind you with menace might not be on their way home from choir practice, or that a bomb left in a high-profile target area might be the work of Islamic Extremists. Nowadays, the assumption of complete innocence is being bestowed upon Hispanics with regards to Immigration. It's "their turn", I guess.
It's perfectly acceptable in Today's America to profile the White Guy as the Greatest Danger (wasn't it the Obama Administration's Homeland Security folks who warned the greatest danger to American is the returning PTSD-addled Iraq War veteran?), but the Border Crosser is just a hard-working soul who means no harm to society. During the last attempted NYC bombing there were careless references to Tim McVeigh, the Klan, White Militias, the (now apparently-innocent) Hutaree made, before the Chattering Classes finally had to confess their disappointment that the culprit was, indeed, another Person of Color of Indeterminate Religious Persuasion. The same people find it easy to criticize Whitey with no proof of being racist, but conveniently neglect the kidnappings, drug running, human trafficking, rampant crime and overflowing emergency rooms that characterizes much of the Illegal Immigration question. The Media and our Politicians link everyone with an opinion that runs counter to Obama's Blessed Vision as a bomb-throwing extremist -- but they all look as if they're about to wet themselves if they have to say the words "Radical Islam", "Black Criminal" or "Illegal Alien".
Concerning "Racial Profiling"; there was a time in America when the police using "profiling" was known by another name. It used to be called "The Cops Doing Their Jobs", and it was a useful tool in the fight against crime. All police officers profile (don't let anyone tell you differently); it's all about recognizing certain patterns of behavior and and circumstances and then drawing inferences from them based upon experience. They just "know" that certain people who fit a certain profile are probably involved in something wrong.
Are the cops always right? No. Sometimes that scantily clad woman at the stoplight, talking up the stopped motorists, is really just a chick who's car broke down on the way to a costume party, and she's trying to beg a ride. Sometimes, that guy in the hoodie didn't steal the television he's carrying; he just brought over to his friend's house so they could watch the big game on a sweeter rig. Sometimes, the black guy in dreadlocks in the High-end Mercedes isn't a drug dealer, but the son of a prominent doctor. The Cops can sometimes be wrong, but they are usually correct much more often.
The idea that the police "harass" certain groups of people for "doing nothing" (euphemism: "driving while _______" or "doing a job an American won't do") is a false one. If a police officer is hassling you, he probably has a reason to do so (unless he's a complete wackjob). Most cops have better things to do than the extra paperwork, and their job is already dangerous and unpredictable enough as it is, without having to actually manufacture more danger by instigating something without a reason. But, we're getting off the real topic here.
There is a segment of the population, prevalent amongst the old "Civil Rights" set, which has long made a living off of creating a controversy where none exists, a phenomenon I've heard referred to as "Waiting for Someone To Yell Nigger". It basically means there are people out there who are entirely all-too-ready to put a racial spin on anything in order to exploit the grievance gravy train, or the political spoils system. People like this are like ambush predators; they lay in wait, until someone strays from the herd of Political Correctness, to say or do something which can be (deliberately) misconstrued, just so they can file a lawsuit, start a picket line, twist a congresscritter's arm, riot in the streets, and make someone (usually White Guys) "pay". If no one obliges them and actually yells "Nigger!", then they try to find some way to insinuate that you're at least thinking it and everybody knows it, anyway (i.e. Institutional Racism).
It's a well-established pattern, and it's been made use of by every political/racial group on the planet -- Blacks, Feminists, Gays, American Indians, Muslims -- and now it about to be used by Hispanics in regard to this new Arizona Immigration Law.
You know how you can tell this is one of those times when outrage is being manufactured for political gain? When the three people who should be the most concerned about the subject -- The President of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Secretary of Homeland Security -- can all admit they haven't read the law, but they feel the need to scream "racism!" before it even goes into effect, and expect to be taken seriously.
The scheme is based upon the old adage that the "Squeaky Wheel Always Gets the Grease".
Well, the Squeaky Wheels have been greased so often that each successive Squeak has -- by necessity - to be louder and more outrageous than the last, and many of the more infamous attempts of recent years have quickly been exposed for what they were; shams and contrivances of convenience. This only makes the folks with the Grease all the less likely to applying it tot he next Squeaky Wheel. The Squeaking over Illegal Immigration is about to get louder, and shriller, and expect to see those who disagree with the view that it's perfectly legal to violate a nation's sovereignty, and then steal from it, get further tarred with the Racist label, and worse. Those who want the problem of illegal immigration fixed, for good, will be called Nazi, Fascist, Baby Killer, Puppy Kicker, Slave Master, and far worse. The Pro-Immigration side will engage in the basest of stereotyping and racial profiling -- all the while claiming the moral high ground and accusing their opponents of the same. The hyperbole will completely destroy the credibility of their own arguments, but it won't really matter; they'll still be taken seriously by the Press and political establishment -- which largely agrees with or earns a living off of them, will cover for them, or which maybe even does their bidding.
After all, we all know how terrible White Guys are...all potential terrorists, you know.
The Squeaky Wheels have yet to realize that The Only People in America You Can Racially Profile Safely in the United States have run out of Grease, and are considering a search for a new Wheel. This might be the last chance to put the White Guy in his place for a long time to come, if ever. The Other Side hasn't realized that the old arguments about "racism" are on their last legs. Those arguments worked when society was still capable of feeling guilt and shame, and when there was an actual moral foundation to the charges. But not anymore. Few nowadays, are ever responsible for anything. Few are expected to take the feelings and needs of their fellow citizens into consideration anymore. The Race Card had been played until its gotten all ragged, and dog-eared and faded, and you see it coming out of the deck before it's ever dealt.
People are hurting economically, our Government is about to spend us all into eternal poverty -- when it doesn't plan to steal from us -- our lives are being regimented and re-ordered like never before, our activities are being scrutinized like never before. The people who have been put upon the most in order to build Brave New World -- the ones who actually pay for it -- are fed up. It just a coincidence that the first test will be over Illegal Immigration.
So expect White Guy to push back -- on immigration, on affirmative action, gay marriage, on a range of issues in which White Guy is simply expected to surrender his rights and freedoms, and cash, and someone else gets to enjoy the benefits just because they can cry louder. That won't work anymore.
We've reached a point in American history where White Guy is sick of being portrayed as a lunatic fringer, of being blamed for every evil past, present, and future, and tired of being set upon by politicians, pundits, racial hucksters and tax collectors. His ears have been wearied by those who scream about their "rights", and somehow forget that White Guy is supposed to have some, too
The next time I see eleven Mexicans in a rusty van, I'm calling the cops. You've been warned. Yelling "Beaner!" is a tactic that simply won't work anymore.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
I Think I've Finished Screaming...
You know, it was almost seven years ago when I decided to start this little screed. It started out as a just a place to throw out random (often dangerous!) thoughts, or to complain about the bewildering state of Modern Life...well, maybe about my bewilderment with Modern Life. I think, in some ways, I did it because I wasn't sure anyone was listening to me, which mostly turned out to be correct. After all, who wants to read anything written by a raving maniac that doesn't involve a dismemberment, sodomy or mass murder, complete with all the gory details, right?
Anywho, I was mostly right; For years, no one actually did read this thing, apart from a few close friends. But I continued to write...for reasons I can't honestly remember now, but they were probably a result of Crazy. I think there was something inside this fat head of mine that was dying to get out, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that was, and then after a while, it just became a habit. I wrote for another blog or two along the way (I had an incredibly short stint as a contributor at a website called StopDemocratsNow which popped up during the Bush-Kerry contest, and I used to post blog entries over at FreeRepublic under a pseudonym), but after that election was over, there didn't seem much point in continuing to contribute. Then, of course, I got kicked from FreeRepublic for having the audacity to refer to most of the people there as a Christian Taliban ... and standing up for Rudy Guiliani. Besides, I was beginning to slip into a deeper and darker depression, and I really couldn't be bothered to write anything, and when I did bother much of it wasn't making sense. Probably a combination of my lack of talent and all the meds.
Anyways, I think I was trying, in some fashion, to communicate the pain I felt in a roundabout manner so that it didn't involve a barfight and felony assault charges. It usually took the form of sarcasm and vitriol, and in retrospect, some of it is damned funny, but most of it is rather embarrassing now. I cringe when I read that older stuff. It's almost like one of those old charts that showed the "Evolution of Man", starting at monkey and morphing through stages into Jimmy Carter. Only mine was more like "The Evolution of Brain Damage".
Well, seven years later and I find that some people actually DO read this thing regularly, and even more surprising, many of them actually return -- I thank you for it -- but I'm not so sure I actually need them to anymore. I think I was looking for some form of validation; for someone to say, "Hey, that's a good opinion", or "Yeah, I agree with that, too", or even to just argue with me. I live for arguments. Fishing for validation, some sign that I might have actually counted to someone, somewhere.
I don't know if I really want to do this anymore. I'm not sure I really need to do it anymore. Things have changed here at the Asylum, and I'm not convinced that doing this is a productive use of time. After all, it's not as if I'm getting paid for this stuff, and I'm not as angry with the world as I once was. Not to mention my abysmal composition and editing skills. I mean, I could sit here for the next 2 years and pound Obama, and write "Islam sucks camel cock" 24/7, but there's no...juice...in it, anymore. I no longer feel the same sense of release that I once did, and I think that's a sign that I've probably begun to finally heal for good. There have been some false starts, but this time it just feels better.
I still hate Muslims and want them all dead, and I still think Liberals are all mentally-stunted and perpetual adolescents who only advocate what they do because they didn't get a rainbow pony for their 6th birthday, and suffered poor potty training. I just don't think I want to scream about it anymore. I'm not angry so much, just resigned to the fact that the planet is inhabited by retards and I'll just have to get used to the idea.
So, I'm taking a few days -- maybe the next week -- off from blogging. Just to see if I want to do this anymore. Maybe I'll find a new direction for this blog o' mine, but I have to think about it. Besides, I have some physical -- rather than mental --health issues to see to at present (I'm not dying, at least, but there's some things I need to do), and I think that with the realization that my anger is pretty much used up, that it's time to start making a true effort at putting the pieces back together. I've been fooling myself that the efforts I've made up to this point were actually "trying", but I was wrong -- I know now that my heart wasn't really in it.
So, you'll get a few more observations about how stupid people are from me this week (it's been an interesting week in people-watching, thus far) and then I'm off for a while.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Three Women and The Religion of Peace...
Some thoughts on Arab/Muslim women in the news lately:
1. From Saudi Arabia, we find out that a woman in a burqa has beaten the snot out of a Vice cop.
Good for her! Can you imagine how shocking this must be to Saudi sensibilities, such as they are? This is something like a gender-based Lexington and Concord in Saudi Arabia, where women are treated as something slightly less-than-property. I was, however, surprised to learn there was a co-ed university in Saudi Arabia (yeah, right...it's probably like 2,000 guys and 4 fat chicks in black head-to-toe sausage casings).
The incident is also pretty much a damning indictment of Saudi men, in general, I would say; the boyfriend fainted when questioned, and the cop got beat up by a girl. And with such fine examples of masculinity on display, somehow Libtards are still afraid of Muslims to the point where they'd rather kiss their asses than kick them.
I've said so a million times in this space: Muslim men, in general, are simple bullies. Especially the ones with some connection to the religious/state apparatus. Stand up to them and they quickly crumble. They are especially afraid of women...they fear women even more than homosexual rape.
With Saudi women reciting poetry critical of Islam and the government in public, and now beating up police officers, it's only a matter of time before they'll be in the streets demanding the right to walk in public by themselves, and gasp!, to own toothbrushes!
2. In other news, we have a report of a French person actually standing up to a Muslim, ripping her burqa off in the process. This is a big deal in France, where public debate about the burqa is leading lawmakers to try and ban them.
Rip the burqas off them all. I can think of no uglier piece of clothing, and no more oppressive symbol than a burqa. And African-Americans can kiss my ass in this regard; Islam is all about slavery, especially of women, and the African-American experience is nowadays a mostly self-imposed mental, rather than physical slavery.
The Burqa is a symbol of fear and domination, which has consequences that have been far more dire and destructive, and which have lasted far longer than any the Confederate flag might conjure up in your imagination. For you (Blacks) Slavery was the ordeal you had to endure before your basic humanity was recognized. For Muslim women, the Burqa is the symbol of their eternal inferiority in the eyes of God, and there's no humanity at all in it.
It is without a doubt the most objectionable ensemble on all of planet Earth. I can only imagine what it must be like to have to dress in a head-to-toe burlap sack. It must be like walking around in your own body bag all day long. The sooner the burqa is gone, the better society will be, for all involved. You're in the West, Muslims, if you wish to be a part of this society (rather than just suck the Welfare benefits out of it), then adopt Western customs. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that those who won't should probably be considered prime candidates for immediate deportation. You could start with all the men who insist their wives dress like a sack of potatoes because God-said-so.
3. We now have an Arab Miss USA. I won't link to any stories about it, because they've mostly been of the "Gosh-aren't-we-an-inclusive-society-and-did-you-ever-think-you'd-live-to-see- such-a-wonderful-sight-Diversity Rocks!" sort, which strike a tone somewhere between vomit-inducingly-vapid and borderline-Irish-Setter-retarded.
I really couldn't care less about such things, usually, but it's become apparent from the news coverage that she was an Affirmative Action selection, the supposed lesser-of-two-evils candidate. Not that Miss Fakih isn't beautiful, but it's clear that the Runner-up doomed herself by espousing a conservative, and most un-PC political position on Arizona Law. It's almost as if the judges had an agenda when they asked the question -- don't give it to the white girl.
I'm certain had their been a Hispanic wench up there they would have cheated or resorted to such cheap tactics on her behalf --- just to send a message to America about immigration -- they would have done so. However, I guess most of the Hispanic candidates were probably gone by the time the "Chew Gum and Walk in Heels Simultaneously" competition was done, and thus unavailable to be used for a propaganda display. Miss Fakih was the best the judges could contrive at a moment's notice. At least she was an actual immigrant.
As an added bonus, it an opportunity for a bunch of Libtards to once again demonstrate their grovelling cowardice to Arabs, whether it's awarding the Miss USA title to one, or insisting that all those Muslim bombers who keep fucking up and getting caught, and confessing, are really insane conservative Tea Party moonbats upset over ObamaCare and Financial Regulation Reform -- and certainly not Islamic terrorists.
Within hours of winning this dubious honor, it was being reported that there are racy videos of the woman, Rima Fakih, swirling about the Internet. This is in addition to the racy publicity photographs that Donald Trump's pageant required all the contestants to pose for. I'm certain that within a week, at best, we'll be seeing nude pictures of the new Miss USA. This has become almost the norm in recent years. In fact, it would be almost shocking to find a Miss USA who didn't pose nude.
I can't be bothered to look for proof of this assertion but I would wager that somewhere in the world, within minutes of the word getting out that America had selected a Muslim beauty queen, 10,000 fatwas were issued calling for her death on the grounds that parading around in evening dress and swimsuits is highly immoral, and for for being an apostate. If we could somehow get this information (but really, why would I?), I'm sure there's probably 50 million Muslim men sitting at their computers right now masturbating over Rima Fakih's online images. Sixty seconds from now -- when they're finished -- they'll be out and about on the streets and in the mosques of Cairo, Damascus and Dubai, feigning outrage that a Muslim woman could behave that way, burning American flags in the street, and finding new ammunition for their war on Western culture.
1. From Saudi Arabia, we find out that a woman in a burqa has beaten the snot out of a Vice cop.
Good for her! Can you imagine how shocking this must be to Saudi sensibilities, such as they are? This is something like a gender-based Lexington and Concord in Saudi Arabia, where women are treated as something slightly less-than-property. I was, however, surprised to learn there was a co-ed university in Saudi Arabia (yeah, right...it's probably like 2,000 guys and 4 fat chicks in black head-to-toe sausage casings).
The incident is also pretty much a damning indictment of Saudi men, in general, I would say; the boyfriend fainted when questioned, and the cop got beat up by a girl. And with such fine examples of masculinity on display, somehow Libtards are still afraid of Muslims to the point where they'd rather kiss their asses than kick them.
I've said so a million times in this space: Muslim men, in general, are simple bullies. Especially the ones with some connection to the religious/state apparatus. Stand up to them and they quickly crumble. They are especially afraid of women...they fear women even more than homosexual rape.
With Saudi women reciting poetry critical of Islam and the government in public, and now beating up police officers, it's only a matter of time before they'll be in the streets demanding the right to walk in public by themselves, and gasp!, to own toothbrushes!
2. In other news, we have a report of a French person actually standing up to a Muslim, ripping her burqa off in the process. This is a big deal in France, where public debate about the burqa is leading lawmakers to try and ban them.
Rip the burqas off them all. I can think of no uglier piece of clothing, and no more oppressive symbol than a burqa. And African-Americans can kiss my ass in this regard; Islam is all about slavery, especially of women, and the African-American experience is nowadays a mostly self-imposed mental, rather than physical slavery.
The Burqa is a symbol of fear and domination, which has consequences that have been far more dire and destructive, and which have lasted far longer than any the Confederate flag might conjure up in your imagination. For you (Blacks) Slavery was the ordeal you had to endure before your basic humanity was recognized. For Muslim women, the Burqa is the symbol of their eternal inferiority in the eyes of God, and there's no humanity at all in it.
It is without a doubt the most objectionable ensemble on all of planet Earth. I can only imagine what it must be like to have to dress in a head-to-toe burlap sack. It must be like walking around in your own body bag all day long. The sooner the burqa is gone, the better society will be, for all involved. You're in the West, Muslims, if you wish to be a part of this society (rather than just suck the Welfare benefits out of it), then adopt Western customs. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that those who won't should probably be considered prime candidates for immediate deportation. You could start with all the men who insist their wives dress like a sack of potatoes because God-said-so.
3. We now have an Arab Miss USA. I won't link to any stories about it, because they've mostly been of the "Gosh-aren't-we-an-inclusive-society-and-did-you-ever-think-you'd-live-to-see- such-a-wonderful-sight-Diversity Rocks!" sort, which strike a tone somewhere between vomit-inducingly-vapid and borderline-Irish-Setter-retarded.
I really couldn't care less about such things, usually, but it's become apparent from the news coverage that she was an Affirmative Action selection, the supposed lesser-of-two-evils candidate. Not that Miss Fakih isn't beautiful, but it's clear that the Runner-up doomed herself by espousing a conservative, and most un-PC political position on Arizona Law. It's almost as if the judges had an agenda when they asked the question -- don't give it to the white girl.
I'm certain had their been a Hispanic wench up there they would have cheated or resorted to such cheap tactics on her behalf --- just to send a message to America about immigration -- they would have done so. However, I guess most of the Hispanic candidates were probably gone by the time the "Chew Gum and Walk in Heels Simultaneously" competition was done, and thus unavailable to be used for a propaganda display. Miss Fakih was the best the judges could contrive at a moment's notice. At least she was an actual immigrant.
As an added bonus, it an opportunity for a bunch of Libtards to once again demonstrate their grovelling cowardice to Arabs, whether it's awarding the Miss USA title to one, or insisting that all those Muslim bombers who keep fucking up and getting caught, and confessing, are really insane conservative Tea Party moonbats upset over ObamaCare and Financial Regulation Reform -- and certainly not Islamic terrorists.
Within hours of winning this dubious honor, it was being reported that there are racy videos of the woman, Rima Fakih, swirling about the Internet. This is in addition to the racy publicity photographs that Donald Trump's pageant required all the contestants to pose for. I'm certain that within a week, at best, we'll be seeing nude pictures of the new Miss USA. This has become almost the norm in recent years. In fact, it would be almost shocking to find a Miss USA who didn't pose nude.
I can't be bothered to look for proof of this assertion but I would wager that somewhere in the world, within minutes of the word getting out that America had selected a Muslim beauty queen, 10,000 fatwas were issued calling for her death on the grounds that parading around in evening dress and swimsuits is highly immoral, and for for being an apostate. If we could somehow get this information (but really, why would I?), I'm sure there's probably 50 million Muslim men sitting at their computers right now masturbating over Rima Fakih's online images. Sixty seconds from now -- when they're finished -- they'll be out and about on the streets and in the mosques of Cairo, Damascus and Dubai, feigning outrage that a Muslim woman could behave that way, burning American flags in the street, and finding new ammunition for their war on Western culture.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Bad Medicine Returns!
Another installment on my regular feature on the bewildering array of "medicines" being heavily marketed on television nowadays. If you wish to see all the installments in this feature, simply click the "Bad Medicine" tag at the bottom of this post.
This time we have a great list of ultra-expensive, the cure-is-often-worse-than-the-malady crap being heavily flogged on American television as The Answer for every problem from Hearing Loss, to Acne, to Erectile Dysfunction. This month's list contains an acne cure, a "homeopathic cure" for tinnitus, and something to help you unblock your nose (because tissues apparently get really expensive), and a brand-spanking-new disease that affects Men in such as way as they don't have the energy to even play a round of golf! The horror!
Certainly all threats to the health and safety of the American public! I can see the Pharmaceutical Bosses now; "Quick; invent an expensive medicine that gives someone the energy for golf, but makes his testicles droop, costs $200 a pop, and produce an expensive commercial that can be shown on TV every 15 minutes!".
Anyways, back to this months' Candidates for Really Bad Medicines:
1. Embrel - is a lovely little medicine being marketed as a cure to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and which is also used to treat those afflicted with Psoriasis. It is taken by injection, and it has some rather unusual side-effects. Since Embrel depresses the immune system, you're very likely to get severe viral, fungal and bacteriological infections, which have actually killed Embrel-using patients. There's also warnings about an increased incidence of Tuberculosis, "unusual" cancers, lymphoma, seizures, heart failure, lupus and hepatitis, and on the website (www.embrel.com) there's this little blurb:
"These are not all the side effects with Embrel. Tell your Doctor about any Side Effect which bothers you or does not go away."
So, you can expect side-effects that even the people who made and tested this piece of shit can't identify! Oh, and make certain you aren't exposed to chicken pox while taking Embrel because...well, they don't exactly say WHY you should avoid the chicken pox, only that you must.
By the way, Embrel costs about $12,000 for a year's prescription.
I couldn't find the Embrel commercial itself on YouTube, but I did find a lot of stuff showing people self-injecting Embrel, which you can look at yourself if you desire, as I find that stuff to be on the same level as snuff porn.
2. Epiduo - The really annoying thing about the Epiduo commercial, is Tyler B., the typical Gen Y slacker who is hopelessly cursed with acne. Despite the best advice and help given to him by the Supermarket Manager, a Dermatologist, and a thorough scrub with Epiduo Gel, Tyler's new acne-free face is still accompanied by his Jughead sense of fashion. I mean, doesn't the kid have any other clothes? And when did the knit wool cap become cool? I have to get out more and frequent skater parks, I guess, because I am soooo not with it! The really disturbing thing about Tyler is that if you were advertising a product which is supposed to dry up acne, how is it that you found such a greasy-looking kid to be the front man?
Anyways, about Epiduo; According to the Epiduo website it's medication is far more effective than traditional methods of treating acne, and far less severe. In fact, it's so superior and non-severe that they hardly bother to list the side effects form Epiduo gel --beyond the standard warnings of "Stay out of sunlight", "your skin may get irritated", "keep it away from your eyes and mouth", and the ever-popular "Oh-and-don't-get-Pregnant-while-using-Epiduo" routine, like this;
It is not known whether this medication is harmful to an unborn baby. Before using Epiduo, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether adapalene and benzoyl peroxide passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use Epiduo without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
It turns out that, perhaps, Epiduo is a better answer for acne, because it's so difficult to find information on any really bad side effects...aside from swelling of the face and lips, and the baby thing. However, before you jump for joy at the thought of your zits being gone forever, please take note of the fact that Eipduo will set you back about $200 for every prescription, and that, alas, since puberty is a years-long proposition, you're probably going to need multiple scripts. But, hey, you can console yourself by visiting the really-neat looking www.truthaboutzits.com website!
3. Glyco-Stat - this is not actually a medicine, but another of those "nutritional supplements" which caters top a segment of the market which believes that "natural" and homeopathic remedies are better than modern pharmacology. Glyco-stat is an appetite suppressor, and glucose-regulator which might be helpful to those seeking to lose weight or diabetics. The website doesn't actually make those claims, but it's what I inferred from the information available. Please take note of all the asterisks (*) which indicate a disclaimer for every claim made for this supplement -- all spelled out at the bottom of the page.
As is usual for these sorts of things, the advertisement touts the effectiveness of "Asian" herbs and plants (the usual pitch makes references to 5,000 years of Chinese herbology, and now Indian traditional medicine is all the rage). This pitch is part-and-parcel of the usual "Natural Suppliment" marketing strategy -- it's all about giving you the impression that these things are somehow mystical secrets that Big Pharma doesn't want you to know about because they want to poison you and steal your money, and therefore, the "Natural Supplement" is both better for you and much cheaper. The idea that something that comes from a plant rather than a vat is supposed to make you feel better about it, and it's usually this "feeling better" that more often than not affects an actual change (this is known as the Placebo Effect). More often than not, the actual problem which led you to take the "All Natural Supplement" is never actually addressed. In any case,the "supplement" contains very little of the active ingredient, and a whole lot of fillers (like rice, and wheat flour). All for $21.00 a bottle.
I could not find the Glyco-Stat commercial on YouTube.
4. Low-T Syndrome - Well, it had to happen at some point. You just knew that with the Pussification of America, it would come to this:
Men are now victims of Menopause.
And we don't mean that their menopausal wives drive them crazy, or even to murder and suicide, we mean they're getting their own male version of menopause.
It's called Low-T Syndrome ("T" standing for Testosterone, which is apropos; as most men nowadays have no balls, or have been emasculated by Feminazis), and it's symptoms include Decreased Sex Drive, Loss of Energy, Body changes (weight gain, development of Moobs, or Man-boobs), Mood changes, and Sexual Dysfunction (here we go with the Erectile Dysfunction shit again!). Long before everyone became a Victim of Something, this used to be called "Getting Old", and people dealt with it. But not now; now you can take Wonder Drugs and solve all your problems. I'll bet that most of those Wonder Drugs are probably named Viagra and Cialis.
Low T Syndrome sounds like a marketing ploy to me. The website is rather nebulous about just what Low-T is and what options (besides "See your doctor for a prescription") are available to the pudgy, paunchy, had-the-shit-beat-out-of-them-by-life, the-wife-is-sagging-so-much-it's-like-screwing-a-shar-pei curmudgeons who apparently suffer from Male Menopause -- and I'm beginning to wonder how many of them are actually gay.
5. Niaspan - Niaspan is basically a vitamin-B supplement that is used to treat people at risk of coronary artery disease. Having been treated for this very condition myself, I can assure you that an infusion of B-complex vitamins (especially B12) is most efficacious. B-complex keeps arteries pliable, and also helps eliminate or control some of the nastier fatty elements in your blood which might cause clots. I used to take about 400 mcg of B12 twice a week, personally, and it does work wonders.
Niaspan is Vitamin B3, which is otherwise known to the general public as Niacin (and most people only know that from reading the back of the cereal box). The great virtues of Niaspan seem to be that it's a) time-released Niacin (meaning you don't have to remember to take your supplement as often), and b) when used in conjunction with other medications (like statins), it reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. The website is here (http://www.niapsan.com/).
Normally, I would consider this a good thing, especially considering my own experience with B-complex supplements. However, Niapsan costs about $150 for a 750mg dose. For about $10.00 you could buy a decent B-complex supplement from your local Supermarket or Pharmacy which is just as good. The only difference is that Niaspan requires you to take fewer pills (about half as many). You could also save a ton of money by eating more spinach and other leafy greens. The side effects are really rather mild, when compared to the other possibilities, and so the risk factor is very small, but the price is simply too high for the supposed benefit.
However, what makes Niaspan really objectionable (to me) is that it's another in a line of otherwise-useful medicines which aren't being marketed so much on their efficacy, as they are on their convenience factor. The main selling point (other than "we help prevent heart attack and stroke") is that you only need to take enough time out of your busy schedule to take one pill -- instead of two or three -- and that somehow, this is a revolution in modern medicine that helps people lead "more active" lifestyles (and is worth a $150.00 prescription). This is the same logic behind the once-a-month-superdose medications that have often-horrific and toxic side effects (because of the size of the dosage itself), but hey, at least you don't have to devote 18 seconds a day to the Pill-and-Glass-of-Water routine. This appeals to aging Baby Boomers who are under the mistaken impression that Eternal-Youth-In-As-Little-Time-As-Possible is a real option in their later years.
7. Omnaris - the truly-annoying thing about Omnaris is the commercial, in which attacking your nasal allergies is likened to a military operation, complete with commandos, dramatic voice over and the Regimental shouting of the slogan (Omnaris, to the Nose!). Your plugged nostrils due to allergy are taken as seriously as any National Security issue, or Important Military Objective, worthy of calling out the SEALs and Green Berets! This idea is further stressed by the picture of the doctor-cum-General Patton in his white lab coat saluting on the webpage (www.omnaris.com).
Omnaris is intended for the treatment of "Nasal Allergy Symptoms", which is pretty generic. There are no specific symptoms (apart from runny noses and clogged sinuses), or specific maladies noted on the website. The terms "Environmental allergies, Outdoor Allergies and Indoor Allergies" are used an awful lot, but no one explains exactly what those might be(I can guess, but won't).
However, never fear; Omnaris is here to enable you to breathe! The generic version will cost you $65 for 100 doses, which isn't that bad if your allergies are such that traditional antihistamines (over-the-counter-stuff, or a nice bowl of oatmeal every morning) don't work for you. I just wish that commercial didn't suck so hard, and would get out of my head!
5. Quietus - This is another homeopathic remedy for those who suffer from tinnitus, a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears. The website claims that Quietus was discovered by a rock drummer, and this is supposed to be proof positive that someone knows what he's talking about, and who the fuck needs doctors anyways ? (why, that inspires confidence right there! I used to be a rock drummer too, and I know just what unrecognized geniuses we truly are...).
Tinnitus is no laughing matter, and it literally drives people batty and affects their lives in many negative ways. However, I'm leery of something that a) doesn't advertise it's price on it's own website (it'll cost you $99.95 for a 30-day supply), b) identifies it's inventor by only his first name, and c) doesn't even give you any indication of what is in the "medicine" it's selling. If you can find a list of ingredients, or a discussion of side effects on that website I'll give you a great big kiss. But I guess the picture of the real pretty operator who is standing by to take your order, and the guy i the white lab coat, are supposed to make you feel better about buying a maybe-bogus Homeopathic Remedy with no Information available to inform your purchase.
As of this writing, there is no "cure" for tinnitus, and there are few real options beyond surgery, which is still no guarantee. There seems to be an awful lot of "scam buzz" on the internet about Quietus, and the FTC might be investigating them for their "30-day Money Back Trial Offer" routine in which involves your credit cards.
I couldn't track the TV commercial I saw down online, but the one on the website with "Bernard The Drummer" was stupid and vague enough.
This time we have a great list of ultra-expensive, the cure-is-often-worse-than-the-malady crap being heavily flogged on American television as The Answer for every problem from Hearing Loss, to Acne, to Erectile Dysfunction. This month's list contains an acne cure, a "homeopathic cure" for tinnitus, and something to help you unblock your nose (because tissues apparently get really expensive), and a brand-spanking-new disease that affects Men in such as way as they don't have the energy to even play a round of golf! The horror!
Certainly all threats to the health and safety of the American public! I can see the Pharmaceutical Bosses now; "Quick; invent an expensive medicine that gives someone the energy for golf, but makes his testicles droop, costs $200 a pop, and produce an expensive commercial that can be shown on TV every 15 minutes!".
Anyways, back to this months' Candidates for Really Bad Medicines:
1. Embrel - is a lovely little medicine being marketed as a cure to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and which is also used to treat those afflicted with Psoriasis. It is taken by injection, and it has some rather unusual side-effects. Since Embrel depresses the immune system, you're very likely to get severe viral, fungal and bacteriological infections, which have actually killed Embrel-using patients. There's also warnings about an increased incidence of Tuberculosis, "unusual" cancers, lymphoma, seizures, heart failure, lupus and hepatitis, and on the website (www.embrel.com) there's this little blurb:
"These are not all the side effects with Embrel. Tell your Doctor about any Side Effect which bothers you or does not go away."
So, you can expect side-effects that even the people who made and tested this piece of shit can't identify! Oh, and make certain you aren't exposed to chicken pox while taking Embrel because...well, they don't exactly say WHY you should avoid the chicken pox, only that you must.
By the way, Embrel costs about $12,000 for a year's prescription.
I couldn't find the Embrel commercial itself on YouTube, but I did find a lot of stuff showing people self-injecting Embrel, which you can look at yourself if you desire, as I find that stuff to be on the same level as snuff porn.
2. Epiduo - The really annoying thing about the Epiduo commercial, is Tyler B., the typical Gen Y slacker who is hopelessly cursed with acne. Despite the best advice and help given to him by the Supermarket Manager, a Dermatologist, and a thorough scrub with Epiduo Gel, Tyler's new acne-free face is still accompanied by his Jughead sense of fashion. I mean, doesn't the kid have any other clothes? And when did the knit wool cap become cool? I have to get out more and frequent skater parks, I guess, because I am soooo not with it! The really disturbing thing about Tyler is that if you were advertising a product which is supposed to dry up acne, how is it that you found such a greasy-looking kid to be the front man?
Anyways, about Epiduo; According to the Epiduo website it's medication is far more effective than traditional methods of treating acne, and far less severe. In fact, it's so superior and non-severe that they hardly bother to list the side effects form Epiduo gel --beyond the standard warnings of "Stay out of sunlight", "your skin may get irritated", "keep it away from your eyes and mouth", and the ever-popular "Oh-and-don't-get-Pregnant-while-using-Epiduo" routine, like this;
It is not known whether this medication is harmful to an unborn baby. Before using Epiduo, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether adapalene and benzoyl peroxide passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use Epiduo without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
It turns out that, perhaps, Epiduo is a better answer for acne, because it's so difficult to find information on any really bad side effects...aside from swelling of the face and lips, and the baby thing. However, before you jump for joy at the thought of your zits being gone forever, please take note of the fact that Eipduo will set you back about $200 for every prescription, and that, alas, since puberty is a years-long proposition, you're probably going to need multiple scripts. But, hey, you can console yourself by visiting the really-neat looking www.truthaboutzits.com website!
3. Glyco-Stat - this is not actually a medicine, but another of those "nutritional supplements" which caters top a segment of the market which believes that "natural" and homeopathic remedies are better than modern pharmacology. Glyco-stat is an appetite suppressor, and glucose-regulator which might be helpful to those seeking to lose weight or diabetics. The website doesn't actually make those claims, but it's what I inferred from the information available. Please take note of all the asterisks (*) which indicate a disclaimer for every claim made for this supplement -- all spelled out at the bottom of the page.
As is usual for these sorts of things, the advertisement touts the effectiveness of "Asian" herbs and plants (the usual pitch makes references to 5,000 years of Chinese herbology, and now Indian traditional medicine is all the rage). This pitch is part-and-parcel of the usual "Natural Suppliment" marketing strategy -- it's all about giving you the impression that these things are somehow mystical secrets that Big Pharma doesn't want you to know about because they want to poison you and steal your money, and therefore, the "Natural Supplement" is both better for you and much cheaper. The idea that something that comes from a plant rather than a vat is supposed to make you feel better about it, and it's usually this "feeling better" that more often than not affects an actual change (this is known as the Placebo Effect). More often than not, the actual problem which led you to take the "All Natural Supplement" is never actually addressed. In any case,the "supplement" contains very little of the active ingredient, and a whole lot of fillers (like rice, and wheat flour). All for $21.00 a bottle.
I could not find the Glyco-Stat commercial on YouTube.
4. Low-T Syndrome - Well, it had to happen at some point. You just knew that with the Pussification of America, it would come to this:
Men are now victims of Menopause.
And we don't mean that their menopausal wives drive them crazy, or even to murder and suicide, we mean they're getting their own male version of menopause.
It's called Low-T Syndrome ("T" standing for Testosterone, which is apropos; as most men nowadays have no balls, or have been emasculated by Feminazis), and it's symptoms include Decreased Sex Drive, Loss of Energy, Body changes (weight gain, development of Moobs, or Man-boobs), Mood changes, and Sexual Dysfunction (here we go with the Erectile Dysfunction shit again!). Long before everyone became a Victim of Something, this used to be called "Getting Old", and people dealt with it. But not now; now you can take Wonder Drugs and solve all your problems. I'll bet that most of those Wonder Drugs are probably named Viagra and Cialis.
Low T Syndrome sounds like a marketing ploy to me. The website is rather nebulous about just what Low-T is and what options (besides "See your doctor for a prescription") are available to the pudgy, paunchy, had-the-shit-beat-out-of-them-by-life, the-wife-is-sagging-so-much-it's-like-screwing-a-shar-pei curmudgeons who apparently suffer from Male Menopause -- and I'm beginning to wonder how many of them are actually gay.
5. Niaspan - Niaspan is basically a vitamin-B supplement that is used to treat people at risk of coronary artery disease. Having been treated for this very condition myself, I can assure you that an infusion of B-complex vitamins (especially B12) is most efficacious. B-complex keeps arteries pliable, and also helps eliminate or control some of the nastier fatty elements in your blood which might cause clots. I used to take about 400 mcg of B12 twice a week, personally, and it does work wonders.
Niaspan is Vitamin B3, which is otherwise known to the general public as Niacin (and most people only know that from reading the back of the cereal box). The great virtues of Niaspan seem to be that it's a) time-released Niacin (meaning you don't have to remember to take your supplement as often), and b) when used in conjunction with other medications (like statins), it reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. The website is here (http://www.niapsan.com/).
Normally, I would consider this a good thing, especially considering my own experience with B-complex supplements. However, Niapsan costs about $150 for a 750mg dose. For about $10.00 you could buy a decent B-complex supplement from your local Supermarket or Pharmacy which is just as good. The only difference is that Niaspan requires you to take fewer pills (about half as many). You could also save a ton of money by eating more spinach and other leafy greens. The side effects are really rather mild, when compared to the other possibilities, and so the risk factor is very small, but the price is simply too high for the supposed benefit.
However, what makes Niaspan really objectionable (to me) is that it's another in a line of otherwise-useful medicines which aren't being marketed so much on their efficacy, as they are on their convenience factor. The main selling point (other than "we help prevent heart attack and stroke") is that you only need to take enough time out of your busy schedule to take one pill -- instead of two or three -- and that somehow, this is a revolution in modern medicine that helps people lead "more active" lifestyles (and is worth a $150.00 prescription). This is the same logic behind the once-a-month-superdose medications that have often-horrific and toxic side effects (because of the size of the dosage itself), but hey, at least you don't have to devote 18 seconds a day to the Pill-and-Glass-of-Water routine. This appeals to aging Baby Boomers who are under the mistaken impression that Eternal-Youth-In-As-Little-Time-As-Possible is a real option in their later years.
7. Omnaris - the truly-annoying thing about Omnaris is the commercial, in which attacking your nasal allergies is likened to a military operation, complete with commandos, dramatic voice over and the Regimental shouting of the slogan (Omnaris, to the Nose!). Your plugged nostrils due to allergy are taken as seriously as any National Security issue, or Important Military Objective, worthy of calling out the SEALs and Green Berets! This idea is further stressed by the picture of the doctor-cum-General Patton in his white lab coat saluting on the webpage (www.omnaris.com).
Omnaris is intended for the treatment of "Nasal Allergy Symptoms", which is pretty generic. There are no specific symptoms (apart from runny noses and clogged sinuses), or specific maladies noted on the website. The terms "Environmental allergies, Outdoor Allergies and Indoor Allergies" are used an awful lot, but no one explains exactly what those might be(I can guess, but won't).
However, never fear; Omnaris is here to enable you to breathe! The generic version will cost you $65 for 100 doses, which isn't that bad if your allergies are such that traditional antihistamines (over-the-counter-stuff, or a nice bowl of oatmeal every morning) don't work for you. I just wish that commercial didn't suck so hard, and would get out of my head!
5. Quietus - This is another homeopathic remedy for those who suffer from tinnitus, a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears. The website claims that Quietus was discovered by a rock drummer, and this is supposed to be proof positive that someone knows what he's talking about, and who the fuck needs doctors anyways ? (why, that inspires confidence right there! I used to be a rock drummer too, and I know just what unrecognized geniuses we truly are...).
Tinnitus is no laughing matter, and it literally drives people batty and affects their lives in many negative ways. However, I'm leery of something that a) doesn't advertise it's price on it's own website (it'll cost you $99.95 for a 30-day supply), b) identifies it's inventor by only his first name, and c) doesn't even give you any indication of what is in the "medicine" it's selling. If you can find a list of ingredients, or a discussion of side effects on that website I'll give you a great big kiss. But I guess the picture of the real pretty operator who is standing by to take your order, and the guy i the white lab coat, are supposed to make you feel better about buying a maybe-bogus Homeopathic Remedy with no Information available to inform your purchase.
As of this writing, there is no "cure" for tinnitus, and there are few real options beyond surgery, which is still no guarantee. There seems to be an awful lot of "scam buzz" on the internet about Quietus, and the FTC might be investigating them for their "30-day Money Back Trial Offer" routine in which involves your credit cards.
I couldn't track the TV commercial I saw down online, but the one on the website with "Bernard The Drummer" was stupid and vague enough.
Ivy League Elite: We Deserve to Rule Because We're Better Than You Scum...
According to this Washington Post Editorial, the fact that Ivy League elites from Harvard and Yale dominate the Supreme Court (Elena Kagan, if confirmed, would make the Court All-Ivy) is a good thing, because well, they're the best and smartest people available. And when we're talking about lawyers (themselves supposedly the smartest of the smart) then, hell, we should be looking for the Ivy League Lawyers to fill the top legal spots in America (the superlatively smartest of the smart), because without them, we dolts will probably degenerate into destructive and immoral behavior of the sort not seen since we were all swinging from trees and throwing feces at one another.
That, of course, was all written by an Ivy League lawyer. Talk about conceit?
Then again, this idiot also boasts that he worked on Micheal Dukakis' presidential campaign. According to some (the Ivy-trained Libtards and Kennedy School sorts), Dukakis lost that election not because he was a dull, criminal-loving, mono-eyebrowed, ultra-libtard, wanna-be elitist prick who was as interesting and exciting as scabies, but because he was just too highbrow for the rest of us to understand where he was coming from. Oh, and that picture of him in the tank, looking like a green mushroom -- with a monobrow -- didn't help much either.
If The Ivy turns out such superior people, then please explain the following calamities:
a) The Economic Crisis. The author should also explain why all those Ivy MBA's are in favor of the piece-by-piece destruction of capitalism (for reasons other than their own immediate paychecks), why they're in bed with politicians who advocate policies that are damaging and destructive to business and commerce, and who support confiscatory rates of taxation which might be common in say, Soviet Russia or Venezuela, but not in the United States of America.
b) Why the nation is fighting two wars that it seems to lack the political will to actually win (you know, by killing the enemy?), and the foreign policy chops required to encourage our allies, and outmaneuver our camel-fucking-wife-beating-illiterate-child-raping-Stick Age opponents. You begin to wonder how all of these Ivy Elites at the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and the National Security apparatus view the world, and when they advance policies such as reading terrorists the Miranda Rights or "negotiating" with Iran, you begin to ask just what the fuck they are they thinking, and do they inhabit the same planet as I do?
c) A Congress which passes bills so complicated it cannot be bothered to read them first, but somehow still manages to exempt itself from. A Congress which is so focused on achieving narrow party-line goals, that in the process it shreds the Constitution, tramples on the rule of law, and bestows honor and credibility upon the biggest and worst of hacks, idiots, con-men and ticket-punchers, while making them fabulously wealthy in the process.
d) A media which doesn't even pretend to be objective, which is the first requirement of a democracy. The ability to audit, criticize and question authority and to hold them to account for their misdeeds, is what separates us from the ignorant savages of the Middle East and the authoritarian hordes of Asia. It's one of the things that makes ours a dynamic, advanced society that continually reinvents itself, and promotes the concept of progress and modernity. It's one of the reasons why the filthy nose-picking masses of the world hate us; because we have, through our media, the ability to ask the question which is fundamental to both peace and progress; "Why?".
Once you lose that ability, either through the abuse of power by the elite, or through the media failing to live up to it's responsibility, you no longer have democracy. We're seeing both -- the Obama Administration has done things it was never empowered (by the Constitution) to do, a democrat-controlled Congress has enabled him to do more, and the Media is not tackling the vital question of "Why?", but is instead more concerned about the burning question of whether a picture of Elena Kagan playing softball is suggestive of hidden homophobia.
Considering the public track record of the Ivy League Elites of the last 20 or so years, I would think that elevating yet another one to the Supreme Court would be a further sign of the degeneration of American society. Maybe we could find one of those Good-ol' boy country lawyers, like Matlock, or even in a pinch, I'd settle for Jack McCoy or, an A.D.A. Ron Carver (from back in the days when Law and Order was less political. Confession: Courtney B. Vance is one of my favorite actors).
I say instead of elevating Ivies to the Court, we instead find them suitable employment at Burger King, or on the assembly line somewhere, so they can experience life outside the Ivory Tower for once -- and learn the hard way -- what actually goes on in this country in places where people don't drink $200 Merlot, and specifically ask if the Ahi-Ahi is farmed and dolphin-free.
The new battle lines in American politics are forming. Our "Elites" are lining up against "The Rubes". One side is represented by people like President Obama, Eric Holder and Elena Kagan -- and the fellow-traveler asshole who wrote this article -- and the other by Tea Parties and the likes of Sarah Palin. The Elites are trumpeting their superior intellects and educational "qualifications" as their Reason to Rule (that sounds a lot like the Divine Right of Kings!), while the Other Side has only Right, Common Sense and Public Opinion on it's side, and as we've seen, there isn't a Libtard politician, judge or pundit alive with an association with the Ivy that hasn't, at one time or another, ignored Right, considered Common Sense inferior to pragmatic Conventional Wisdom, and derided Public Opinion as little more than the mental diarrhea of the incredibly retarded masses.
That, of course, was all written by an Ivy League lawyer. Talk about conceit?
Then again, this idiot also boasts that he worked on Micheal Dukakis' presidential campaign. According to some (the Ivy-trained Libtards and Kennedy School sorts), Dukakis lost that election not because he was a dull, criminal-loving, mono-eyebrowed, ultra-libtard, wanna-be elitist prick who was as interesting and exciting as scabies, but because he was just too highbrow for the rest of us to understand where he was coming from. Oh, and that picture of him in the tank, looking like a green mushroom -- with a monobrow -- didn't help much either.
If The Ivy turns out such superior people, then please explain the following calamities:
a) The Economic Crisis. The author should also explain why all those Ivy MBA's are in favor of the piece-by-piece destruction of capitalism (for reasons other than their own immediate paychecks), why they're in bed with politicians who advocate policies that are damaging and destructive to business and commerce, and who support confiscatory rates of taxation which might be common in say, Soviet Russia or Venezuela, but not in the United States of America.
b) Why the nation is fighting two wars that it seems to lack the political will to actually win (you know, by killing the enemy?), and the foreign policy chops required to encourage our allies, and outmaneuver our camel-fucking-wife-beating-illiterate-child-raping-Stick Age opponents. You begin to wonder how all of these Ivy Elites at the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and the National Security apparatus view the world, and when they advance policies such as reading terrorists the Miranda Rights or "negotiating" with Iran, you begin to ask just what the fuck they are they thinking, and do they inhabit the same planet as I do?
c) A Congress which passes bills so complicated it cannot be bothered to read them first, but somehow still manages to exempt itself from. A Congress which is so focused on achieving narrow party-line goals, that in the process it shreds the Constitution, tramples on the rule of law, and bestows honor and credibility upon the biggest and worst of hacks, idiots, con-men and ticket-punchers, while making them fabulously wealthy in the process.
d) A media which doesn't even pretend to be objective, which is the first requirement of a democracy. The ability to audit, criticize and question authority and to hold them to account for their misdeeds, is what separates us from the ignorant savages of the Middle East and the authoritarian hordes of Asia. It's one of the things that makes ours a dynamic, advanced society that continually reinvents itself, and promotes the concept of progress and modernity. It's one of the reasons why the filthy nose-picking masses of the world hate us; because we have, through our media, the ability to ask the question which is fundamental to both peace and progress; "Why?".
Once you lose that ability, either through the abuse of power by the elite, or through the media failing to live up to it's responsibility, you no longer have democracy. We're seeing both -- the Obama Administration has done things it was never empowered (by the Constitution) to do, a democrat-controlled Congress has enabled him to do more, and the Media is not tackling the vital question of "Why?", but is instead more concerned about the burning question of whether a picture of Elena Kagan playing softball is suggestive of hidden homophobia.
Considering the public track record of the Ivy League Elites of the last 20 or so years, I would think that elevating yet another one to the Supreme Court would be a further sign of the degeneration of American society. Maybe we could find one of those Good-ol' boy country lawyers, like Matlock, or even in a pinch, I'd settle for Jack McCoy or, an A.D.A. Ron Carver (from back in the days when Law and Order was less political. Confession: Courtney B. Vance is one of my favorite actors).
I say instead of elevating Ivies to the Court, we instead find them suitable employment at Burger King, or on the assembly line somewhere, so they can experience life outside the Ivory Tower for once -- and learn the hard way -- what actually goes on in this country in places where people don't drink $200 Merlot, and specifically ask if the Ahi-Ahi is farmed and dolphin-free.
The new battle lines in American politics are forming. Our "Elites" are lining up against "The Rubes". One side is represented by people like President Obama, Eric Holder and Elena Kagan -- and the fellow-traveler asshole who wrote this article -- and the other by Tea Parties and the likes of Sarah Palin. The Elites are trumpeting their superior intellects and educational "qualifications" as their Reason to Rule (that sounds a lot like the Divine Right of Kings!), while the Other Side has only Right, Common Sense and Public Opinion on it's side, and as we've seen, there isn't a Libtard politician, judge or pundit alive with an association with the Ivy that hasn't, at one time or another, ignored Right, considered Common Sense inferior to pragmatic Conventional Wisdom, and derided Public Opinion as little more than the mental diarrhea of the incredibly retarded masses.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
No Shit, Sherlock Department: People in Power Make Better Liars, Study Shows...
I'm so glad someone spent money (probably taxpayer money) on this study that indicates that those who have achieved power are not affected in the same psychological manner as us peons when they deign to be untruthful.
Whereas "non-liars" feel pangs of guilt, which lead to subtle clues about their subterfuge, powerful people actually feel validated when they lie. As I read this, there's a sort of "Liar's High", not to mention a sense of arrogant entitlement involved, and as time goes on, they can't seem to break the habit.
I'm certain that if these researchers gave the same test to Congress, 99% of the members would fail.
Now, what's really interesting about this study is what's NOT written in it. I took the opportunity to look up some biographical details about the people mentioned in it, and you know what I found? The majority of the people mentioned by name in that article are all associated with the Ivy League!
David Paterson, Governor of New York is a graduate of Columbia University.
Jeffrey Skilling, former Enron President and convicted felon, is a graduate of Harvard Business School.
Mary C. Gentile, author and secondary source for this story, once taught at Harvard Business School.
The Study itself was done at Columbia University by "researchers" who research at Columbia!
Why, it's almost a scandal! They want to explain the abuse of power and the psychology of lying by the powerful, but seem to have neglected a common thread between the infamous liars mentioned, the secondary sources the reporter used, and the people who did the study: they all have an Ivy League background!
I'd be more likely to draw the conclusion that if you went to an Ivy League school you're more likely to become an expert liar, more than I would buy the theory that it becomes easier to lie with the accumulation of power. It seems as if the theory is simply trying to find a psychological basis for excusing bad behavior -- after the fact -- that is probably acquired with the air of privilege and (false) sense of superiority that comes with an Ivy League education. That feeling of superiority is probably part-and-parcel of the urge to lie, and vital to the ability to pull it off.
The Ivy League churns out liars like crack whores churn out AIDS babies. It's just that now, when we look upon the blasted heath that was once America, and see that it was laid low by our Ivy Leaguers on Wall Street, Government, Media and Academia, the Ivy League must cover up it's complicity in the crimes committed -- so it produces a study that basically implies that the Ivy Leaguers now known to be liars were psychologically predisposed to be dissemblers, and that it was a vital component of their "success". It's supposed to appear as if the Liars didn't acquire that talent at Harvard, nor were they encouraged to be anything other than upstanding moral citizens at Columbia or Princeton. In fact, attending those schools, the "researchers" seem to be saying, didn't help the Liars sharpen their talents one little bit -- what with all the Secret Societies, the Old Boy Networks, Gentleman's C's, and Marked Class Distinctions, insane Political Correctness and Affirmative Action codes, and so forth -- directly or not.
Yeah, riiiiight.
Update: I rest my case: The Latest Harvard Plagarist. Not to be confused with all the Old Harvard Plagarists.
Whereas "non-liars" feel pangs of guilt, which lead to subtle clues about their subterfuge, powerful people actually feel validated when they lie. As I read this, there's a sort of "Liar's High", not to mention a sense of arrogant entitlement involved, and as time goes on, they can't seem to break the habit.
I'm certain that if these researchers gave the same test to Congress, 99% of the members would fail.
Now, what's really interesting about this study is what's NOT written in it. I took the opportunity to look up some biographical details about the people mentioned in it, and you know what I found? The majority of the people mentioned by name in that article are all associated with the Ivy League!
David Paterson, Governor of New York is a graduate of Columbia University.
Jeffrey Skilling, former Enron President and convicted felon, is a graduate of Harvard Business School.
Mary C. Gentile, author and secondary source for this story, once taught at Harvard Business School.
The Study itself was done at Columbia University by "researchers" who research at Columbia!
Why, it's almost a scandal! They want to explain the abuse of power and the psychology of lying by the powerful, but seem to have neglected a common thread between the infamous liars mentioned, the secondary sources the reporter used, and the people who did the study: they all have an Ivy League background!
I'd be more likely to draw the conclusion that if you went to an Ivy League school you're more likely to become an expert liar, more than I would buy the theory that it becomes easier to lie with the accumulation of power. It seems as if the theory is simply trying to find a psychological basis for excusing bad behavior -- after the fact -- that is probably acquired with the air of privilege and (false) sense of superiority that comes with an Ivy League education. That feeling of superiority is probably part-and-parcel of the urge to lie, and vital to the ability to pull it off.
The Ivy League churns out liars like crack whores churn out AIDS babies. It's just that now, when we look upon the blasted heath that was once America, and see that it was laid low by our Ivy Leaguers on Wall Street, Government, Media and Academia, the Ivy League must cover up it's complicity in the crimes committed -- so it produces a study that basically implies that the Ivy Leaguers now known to be liars were psychologically predisposed to be dissemblers, and that it was a vital component of their "success". It's supposed to appear as if the Liars didn't acquire that talent at Harvard, nor were they encouraged to be anything other than upstanding moral citizens at Columbia or Princeton. In fact, attending those schools, the "researchers" seem to be saying, didn't help the Liars sharpen their talents one little bit -- what with all the Secret Societies, the Old Boy Networks, Gentleman's C's, and Marked Class Distinctions, insane Political Correctness and Affirmative Action codes, and so forth -- directly or not.
Yeah, riiiiight.
Update: I rest my case: The Latest Harvard Plagarist. Not to be confused with all the Old Harvard Plagarists.
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