Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Swine Flu! Panic!

The big scare right now is swine flu. Scary, scary stuff. It's the flu only it came from pigs and it will KILL YOU DEAD!

Especially if you try to prevent it.

The Socialist Nightmare

The Daily Show explores the nightmare that is Socialism. Is this really what we want for America?

Friday, April 24, 2009

A Clockwork Fnord

There is only one way to stop wars. Refuse to fight them. I am asking people to please stop fighting wars. They are having an ill effect on my health.

At one time I could watch war footage, news coverage, clips, montages, movies, all of it and just get mad about wars. After all, the modern concept of war involves two people behind multiple protective layers getting into an argument and sending people they have little or no real interest for to go shoot the shit out of each other. And the people do it. They get duped into doing it. They get fed some bullshit line about pride or duty or morality or whatever the cause du jour is, they eat it up, and get sent off to either kill or die. Stupid. So I would get mad.

But now images and news sent back from the battle fronts is starting to have a different effect on me. It is making me ill. My stomach starts to churn and I get the faintest twinges of nausea setting in. Like when you aren't certain you've got the flu but your body is starting to show the signs of it. It seems like if I continue to watch for an extended period I will vomit. Like little Alex in A Clockwork Orange as he's going through 'treatment'.

Oddly, I feel like I'd almost be willing to kill to stop it.

So I would really appreciate it if people would stop fighting wars. I'd feel a lot better.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Signs of Change

For those keeping track of real changes brought about by the latest administration...

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Snitch!

Yet another reason to despise...

Ronald Reagan was a secret FBI anti-commie snitch

According to an article published in the San Jose Mercury News, documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act indicate that Reagan and his first wife, Actress Jane Wyman, provided federal agents with the names of actors they believed were Communist sympathizers.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Unemployed Leeches

I am not judging, I'm just saying...

For a couple of months now the factory has been on reduced hours and participating in this thing called 'Work Share'. They went from a five day work week to a four day one and the state unemployment system will pay workers unemployment benefits for the fifth day. Each week that a person draws that one day of unemployment benefits counts as a week on unemployment.

For the past few years I've been with this company I have had many conversations with people who bitched about those unemployed loafers who are a drain on the system stealing the working people's hard earned money through higher taxes. Those same people jumped right on board with the Work Share program because they feel they are entitled to it. They are able bodied workers drawing unemployment. Many of them have expressed how much they love only working four days a week and getting their unemployment check to cover the fifth. They can sit at home and do nothing and still get paid!

I have not signed up for Work Share. I have never drawn unemployment and hope I never find myself in a situation where I feel I have to. It's a personal thing. Yet I am actually in favor of unemployment benefits for people who lose their jobs. Yes, even for ones who only lose a fifth of their job.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Space Anarchists

The story as I have it thus far.

Historical evidence shows that groups of people living in cooperation with their fellow men and women while balancing available resources tend to have the most leisure time and are among the least technologically advanced.

Historical evidence also shows that when a few fevered egos tell everybody what they should do, rule by force, strip resources, and decimate the land for their own selfish ends, people as a whole tend to be unhappy and technology progresses rapidly.

I've been contemplating the evidence as presented to me for several days now. I don't want it to be true. Yet I find myself just stammering, "but, but, but..." After all, if I believe we can live without leaders and live in orbital colonies, it must be true.

I would never accept such a ridiculous faith based statement from a political or religious source. I can not accept it from myself.

Are my dreams of living in space and anarchism diametrically opposed? Historical evidence makes it seem so.

We need to hurry up and get into space so I can stop worrying about that dream and focus on the other one!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Public Service Math

Doing the math so you don't have to!

People tend to get confused by big numbers. To many people ten grand is a lot of money and ten million is also a lot of money. So let's convert some numbers into something easier to grasp.
New Jobless Claims Drop; Ongoing Total At Record : NPR

The 5.84 million continuing claims lag the initial claims data by a week and the number doesn't include 1.54 million Americans that received benefits under an extended unemployment compensation program approved by Congress last year. That adds 20 to 33 weeks of benefits on top of the typical 26 weeks provided by states.
That's a total of 7.38 million Americans collecting unemployment. This does not account for those who are jobless without unemployment benefits.

If you combined the greater metropolitan populations including suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Kansas City on both sides of the river, the Portland/Vancouver region, and added in Freeborn County in Minnesota, all of the places I have claimed residence in, you would fall just shy of 7.38 million. Thinking about everyone in all of those places being on unemployment sounds a bit scary.

Or you could consider the entire populations of Oklahoma, Mississippi, and South Dakota drawing unemployment. Gives you a whole different perspective.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Ungrateful Hypocrite

Chycho.com
Obama, you ungrateful hypocrite, your online audience are the ones that raised half a billion dollars to put you in power.


vs.



Man, Obama walks a real tight line on this one. The pre-election statement from Senator Obama calls for decriminalization while President Obama verbally vetoes legalization. In that the quoted article is wrong. He can technically still make good on both statements without being a hypocrite.

But will he?