It's all fun and games... until it's not. Bullying Within the #Glee Fandom.

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Life has been insanely crazy lately. And I know that I said that I was taking a brief hiatus from this blog, but there comes a point where the personal problems just become too much. And I know this won't be as eloquent as I would want it to be, but I'm kind of in a mood and rushing and flailing, so...


I should really title this What It's Like to be a Kurtofsky Pirate (on Tumblr).


(also excuse me, new high quality promos are out and I need to flail...i'm dying my dash is just so quality right now i might just cry omg i love you guys)


If you've been following my Tumblr, you may be aware of what has been going on within the Glee fandom. (And no, this post isn't about Glee itself. Just the fans. And mostly fans on Tumblr.) There are different factions, each supporting a different "ship." (Relationship). And frequently, there are ship wars - people claiming that their pairing is better, etc. And this is usually pretty normal in a fandom. No big deal. It's all fun and games... until it's not.


Why? Because lately, there has been great reason to be ashamed of the fandom. Last night, someone posted a porn manip (er... i.e. photoshopped .gif picture) of one of the actors/characters. And send it to them via Twitter. NOT COOL. Not only is that incredibly disrespectful to the actor and possibly career damaging, it's disrespectful to the fandom and tactless. 


But the real reason I'm here right now... Bullying.


I belong to a group known as the Pirates (Kurtofskians, or Karommel fans). We ship Kurt Hummel, out and proud fashionista and fabulous counter-tenor, with jock David Karofsky, a.k.a the closeted bully. We're proud of our ship, just like any other. We're just about the most hated ship in the Glee fandom - hated by Klainers, by Kummers (Hevens fans), Puckurts, and Kinns, etc. Why, you ask? Kurt + Karofsky. Kurt and the person who has bullied him for a year, to the point where he transferred to another school. To some, this is eternally unforgivable. To us, it's horrible and wrong, but things can change. It can get better.


This is what happened this morning:
Someone was sent a series of hateful messages, ending with this (highlight to read)- "if I knew where you lived right now I would put a bullet hole through your brain."


This isn't the first time it's happened. This isn't the first series of death threats or "kill yourself" or "you're disgusting i hope you get killed" messages. These kinds of things have been happening for weeks, maybe months... And a lot of it has been directed towards the Pirates.


No, we're not crazy, nor are we apologists or abusers. Ask any Pirate, and I'm sure they'd be glad to explain their specific reasons for their ship. Many of us have been bullied or abused in our lives, or are still dealing with abuse. Some of us are/were bullies and are still hoping for change, and peace, and a happy ending. And some are looking for reconciliation and redemption. We want to believe that bullies won't always be bullies, and that someday people the people in our lives will be accepting and loving, unconditionally. (Plus there's the OMG ANGST factor. It's far more interesting a relationship than others, because it's just so incredibly full of conflict. But conflict is what makes a story great. Conflict is what makes a story.)


No, we don't actually ship Kurt with a bully - we are waiting for Dave to come to terms with himself, accept who he is, apologize to Kurt and make amends, eventually someday become friends, and then maybe someday in the future they can consider a romantic relationship. (REDEMPTION IS NIGH!!!) We see their long-term potential. We are optimists, people who believe in love and forgiveness and redemption, and second chances. We have so much love for David (and Max Adler, for being able to portray the complexities of such a deep, conflicted character. Kudos.) Not Karofsky the Bully, but David - the real person underneath, and his potential. He has a LONG way to go before he can ever be worthy of Kurt, not a single one of us would EVER deny that; but most of us first and foremost want these things:

1. We want Dave to stop bullying. 
2. We want Kurt to be happy and safe.
3. We want Dave to be happy and safe.
4. We think it would be awesome if they could become friends later on. And a romantic relationship is just icing on the cake. (Our Beauty and the Beast romance...) Plus it was the original plan after boyfriend!Sam fell through. Kurt was supposed to fall for a jock he helps come out of the closet. Cue Dave. (But then Kurt needed a reason to be on the show less. Cue bully!Dave. See, everything fits.)
5. We want all people to stop bullying and learn to love themselves and others. We do not support abuse in any form whatsoever.

This is where the problems began. Other ships don't see things the same way we do. Everyone interprets things differently, and that is fine, but when people take these differences in opinion and turn them into an "us vs. them" or an "our ship is more legitimate than your ship!" argument, things tend to go downhill fast. And this is why things haven't been so fun at times... From the start, we have had to defend our ship. We spend hours, days even, in deep discussion (amongst ourselves and with other ships) about the characters, and their motivations, and the plot lines. We have analyzed the hell out of every little detail, so know that we do not take this lightly. We do not attack or bash other ships, because we believe that everyone has the right to their ship, but we are quick to defend ourselves and each other when attacked. Because we have to. We're like a family. When in doubt, it's What Would a Pirate Do?


What Dave did was wrong. This is undeniable. But does this really mean that we deserve to be despised, to be sent angry hate-filled rants about how we're all rape apologists and support abusers, just because we want to see someone happy and secure instead of self-loathing and lashing out at the people around him (including the guy he likes but can't/doesn't want anyone to know he likes)? Dave didn't kiss Kurt to hurt him. And we don't ship them to hurt Kurt. We love Kurt and his eternal bitchiness. (Just not when that bitchiness turns into a biphobic and/or transphobic rant when he should be loving and supportive of his friends...)


Half the characters on the show are bullies. Most of them have done things equal to, if not FAR worse than anything Dave has done. Yet because they are played for laughs, and he is meant to be a (temporary) villain, everyone loves them and hates Dave. Unconditionally. Things that people tend to forget - Dave was bullied. He became a bigger bully to deal with that. He is an example of what Kurt could have been. Who Kurt could be. And it's as important for him to have a happy ending as it is Kurt, if we're talking about the messages their story arc sends. (As for Kurtofsky messages - love is stronger than hate; everyone deserves a second chance; people can change; there is such a thing as redemption; even bullies can find happiness- they don't have to stay bullies forever. They can change.)


When someone is trying to argue against a ship for a bully, you would think they wouldn't condone hurtful words or actions. But there have been numerous death threats. People leaving Tumblr just because they keep getting hundreds, or thousands of hateful messages telling them to die, or telling them what horrible people they are for thinking a bully deserves to be happy. Telling us. We have these things called Glee Ship Secrets, and Glee secrets. And there is a collective wince every time our ship is mentioned. Because the notes explode with hate. We have frequent impromptu "share the love" sessions to keep our spirits up, to remind ourselves why we believe in the things we do (AND THAT REDEMPTION IS NIGH!!!). Fandom shouldn't be this stressful, this painful, this depressing.


"Glee is about opening yourself up to joy..."


It's hard to find joy when you're told you're worthless and disgusting and that you should go kill yourself. Yet that is what a lot of other Glee fans have said to Pirates. And to members of other ships. 

VIOLENCE IS NEVER OK.

Call it ironic, hypocritical, whatever - the same people screaming about how awful bullying is are some of same ones bullying others online. Over a fucking TV SHOW. Over a work of fiction, over characters we like, characters we hate, characters we hate to like and like to hate. Over an ongoing storyline that changes faster than Lady Gaga's look. (Don't ask me how I know these things. I'm not a fan of hers.) When you say these things, you are affecting REAL PEOPLE. Not fictional characters, but real human beings. Bullying hurts. If you haven't learned that by now, you haven't been paying attention at all. You don't get it.


For those who believe that cyberbullying isn't a problem, or that there are never consequences - spend a week with us and you'll see all the damage that these things can do. And we're all really nice people who just want peace in the world. And maybe you'll also understand why we believe so strongly in letting go of hate. It consumes you. I find it very, very disturbing when people say that they will seek revenge, that they will never forgive or forget. It's unhealthy to hold onto grudges forever, whether against your own bullies or against the people you have hurt. Holding onto hate can turn you into the "monsters" you claim to be so against. I was shocked to see that even Chris Colfer has expressed these feelings... There's a reason for all of those sappy little sayings - Love your enemies. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Teaching others to hate in response to being treated poorly is NOT the answer. It is incredibly immature. I can even say this from a psych POV - in order to move on, you have to learn to let go of hate and learn to forgive. Forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting. It just means growing up.


But to the Anons who continually threaten and disparage us, and to the not-so-anons who constantly bash us and say they could never understand:  
If Karofsky's death threat was so wrong, why would you ever consider doing the same?? How could that even cross your mind?


(This in particular was in response to the Anon who sent this morning's messages...) Do you understand what you’re doing right now? You’re being a cyberbully, emotionally abusing and intimidating and THREATENING innocent people over the internet. Do you think it’s cute, threatening people’s lives because you apparently feel superior to them because of opinions about a TV SHOW? Do you think it’s romantic when you tell them you would kill them, when you make someone live in fear of YOU, a person who is supposed to be a fellow fan and therefore an ally, someone who shares a common love?


Your actions disgust me, and disgrace our fandom. Pirates support love, and redemption, and forgiveness. I believe that ultimately, we are optimists. We try to see the good in others, and hope that they can find it in themselves to change the things that create and perpetuate hate and pain, as well as to make things right again with the people they have hurt.
I hope the same for you. For all of us.


Practice what you preach.


We do. THIS is what it means to be a pirate. So please, let us all just coexist in peace and be done with it. The Glee fandom is for all of us, not just one particular ship.


Love you forever and always, 
DarkAngelKiely




I can honestly say that I love this fandom more than I even care about the show anymore. Especially my Pirate buddies. I love you guys more than Mr. Boyfriend loves KFC and Guitar Hero, more than Fancy loves bondage shirts, more than we all love The Captain's crazy reaction videos. So this is for you, some of the most mature, well-spoken , thoughtful, and loving shippers ever to sail the seas of Narnia.


I still miss the days where ship wars were fun and friendly...


Readers, I'll leave you with this:

DON'T PUSH ME, FANDOM.
Or I'll kill you - with kindness.

...the f*ck's going on out there? #WestboroBastards #WIunion #Libya

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As you can probably tell, I haven't been posting all that much about... well, anything. As I said before, things got complicated... and odds are, I'm about to lose internet for a while.

So... because it's one of the first things everyone on either Tumblr or Twitter has mentioned today - the Supreme Court ruled in favor of hate trolls Westboro Baptist Church. And while apparently this is unpopular opinion, I have to agree with the ruling. It would have been far worse if they had ruled against WBC, because that would be a direct violation of our constitutionally protected right to free speech; and if the Supreme Court can rule against them, they can rule against us. It seems like a lot of people might be missing this point... and I get it, really, because WBC are truly horrible, disgusting people, but I would be a hypocrite if I didn't say this--  freedom of speech means freedom of speech. (Which is why I also tolerate the existence of voices such as Beck and She-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named. Doesn't mean I approve of what they are saying or doing in any way, shape, or form, but I can't condone forced censorship just because I don't like what they say/do.) I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. When I quoted that last year, I meant it. And I'm not going to go back on that now because of a bunch of snivelling, attentionwhoring shit-for-brains asswipes closed-minded trolls are trying to spread hate. I still stand by everything I've ever said about them before, and I don't think they should be allowed anywhere near a funeral by any means, but are they allowed to be inbred, rabid fucktards ignorant hate-mongering bigots/mumpsimes? Yes. (And to Phelps, I quote - "If I want your expert opinion on something, I'll ask you what it's like to be a douchebag." You are also like a stream of bat's piss. Mayka ti duha na mechki v gorata.) And remember - THEY JUST DO THIS SHIT FOR THE ATTENTION. So there, they got what, 2 minutes from me? I'm done. (And I usually don't wish ill on people, but I laughed when I read that they got pepper-sprayed at one funeral. I think I might've laughed harder if it were tear gas, if not for the situation in Egypt. And I am unapologetic tonight.)

Libya - Ok I have no idea what's going on... A quick peek at Mother Jones says Gaddafi expanded an attack against rebels, killing 35 and wounding 100. Out of all of the revolutions that we've seen this year, this has been the most violent and deadly by a longshot. So let's keep fighting here to #FreeLibya any way we can help... The Libyan people have our support.

Wisconsin. OMFG Wisconsin... I can't even... Democratic Representative Nick Milroy was tackled by police today as he attempted to enter the Wisconsin Capitol building to get some clothes out. (He was one of the 4 awesome legislators who moved their desks outside to talk to constituents.) Also, Walker has given "final notice" of layoffs to union workers. And this entire fucking situation is a total abuse of power on Governor Walker's part. And that is all I'm willing to say on this subject, lest this turn into another angry rant. And there is birthday cake tonight, and I'm still working on my taxes, so I can't go there right now. Maybe Sunday. Until then, I will quietly seethe over here... (Ok, more like I'm just way too distracted by stupid things to care about anything at all right now.)

Last thing - so rumor has it that apparently some self-hating "pro-life" women are leading a national tour to set back women's rights 100 years or so, starting with reproductive rights/health and ending with "a woman's place is in the kitchen, serving her God-fearing husband and popping out babies." We need to get on this or something.

On a completely unrelated side note - Oreos fucking taste like tar. At least, what I imagine tar would taste like if it were baked into the shape of a cookie with some powdered shaving cream for "frosting."

Can you tell I'm feeling a little... combative tonight? Meh...

"Crosshairs," Correlations, & Consequences: Dealing with What Happened in Tucson

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"We are again dealing with difficulties in a contentious, partisan time. We are more connected than ever before, more able to spread our ideas and beliefs, our anger and fears. As we exercise the right to advocate our views, and as we animate our supporters, we must all assume responsibility for our words and actions before they enter a vast echo chamber and reach those both serious and delirious, connected and unhinged." -- Bill Clinton, following the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing

I'm still a bit shaken after what happened... but I wanted to say this. I'll try to be coherent, but as usual, my thoughts are all over the place. It's taken me 4 days to even get to a point where I feel like I can speak again. I keep trying to process all that's going on, and make some sense of it, but... There are global moments of insanity, and disbelief, and anger, all rolled into a week-long fit of depression. Good times, Not so much...

EDIT: As usual, President Obama says it best. (Eulogy from tonight's memorial service in Tucson).

And when my boss says to me (while pointing at a neatly packed but apparently-not-the-way-she-wanted-it box of merchandise), "Who did this? They deserve to get shot!" and I'm left standing there, shaking, disgusted that even after everything that's happened in the past year, let alone the past 4 days, no one seems to understand how horrifying it is to hear that. (I once had a roommate who would declare that she would like to “shoot him/her in the face” every time she got angry at someone. I also had a roommate who would tell people “I’ll cut you!” It was uncomfortable then, and it’s still uncomfortable now. Nothing ever changes…) For something that is "just an expression" - do we really have to use such violent language just to express dissatisfaction? Saying that someone deserves to be shot because they did something you didn't like? Not cool.

Tune out the Bells-- Just Say No to the Salvation Army

So how have I not seen this before? Apparently it was banned. Either way, it's the hottest thing I've ever seen in advertising, and I would totally buy this product. Wait, what?

Believe it or not, but this is actually relevant to something for once! My novel for NaNo, that is. Well, not the priests. And characters do not get it on with ice cream in their hands. (They're very good about waiting til they get out of the kitchen or finish eating... [LED light bulb flashes over head] O_O ooo, wait!)

"Thanksgiving" is tomorrow. My sister's been home for about 40 minutes now, and already the screaming matches have begun. (Not with me. I'm staying by myself in the basement until it's over. This weekend, that is. My bedroom will be a war zone at some point, I'm sure of it.) But speaking of "holidays" based on the systematic government-sanctioned genocides of innocent people (oh, were you expecting something else?)-- for those of us not participating in the Commercialized Day of Gluttony, a bit of advice for raising our future children to understand the true story behind Thanksgiving.

Moving on to the next Commercialized Holiday - honestly, I have no idea what Christmas is even about anymore, other than shopping and decorating and cooking and screaming at your sibling because she's a total bitch. It's nothing like the magical time it used to be when I was growing up... Anyway, before I get all nostalgic-- one aspect of the holiday season that never seems to change is the emergence of red-capped employees of the Salvation Army outside every store. Pavlov's dogs have nothing on us. I can feel my wallet grow heavier in my purse as the jingle-jangle next to the little red cauldron (*ahem* I mean "kettle") screams "FEED ME!" and my hands automatically begin to rove my pockets for loose change, just as I did when I was little. It's hard to describe the feeling I get when I have to pass by without dropping in at least a few cents, but I can't say that it's a good one. My family has been donating clothes and other items to them for as long as I've been alive. They were my first stop when the tsunami hit Indonesia, and when the earthquake destroyed much of Haiti. I never even thought twice about it. It feels like purposefully ignoring the ringing bells is a one-way ticket to Rush Limbaugh's house (a.k.a. Hell), and he (I mean his "hired help") is making liver and onions and gizzards for dinner. (Excuse me while I go puke up my tofu and beans...) However, as much "good" as they do in the world (and they certainly do a lot of it), they do a lot of not-so-great things as well...

This is going to sound harsh, but hear me out-- I'm about to explain why you shouldn't donate to the Salvation Army.


The Salvation Army is very much Anti-Gay:

• In 2004, they threatened to close down all of their NYC soup kitchens if federal law required the companies they worked with to provide health benefits to same-sex partners of employees.
• They requested to be exempted from local laws that bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, as a religious organization receiving federal money.
• Too many things to list.

But if the subject of LGBT rights isn't enough to make you find a new charity, consider this:

• the Salvation Army is an evangelical international Christian organization, set up like a paramilitary, that denies assistance or jobs to anyone it feels does not perfectly fit into their "Christian values" and "scripture." [Last I checked, Charity and Love were Christian values. But hey, I was born into a Catholic family, and only went to Catholic school for 13 yeas and was forced to read the Bible every fucking day, all while acting as a leader of my high school's annual religious retreat (at which point I was the only agnostic/atheist there). I could be totally wrong here.]
• They believe the Civil Rights Act of 1964 gives them the right to discriminate based on religious beliefs.
• They use taxpayer money to practice religious discrimination against employees-- "The Salvation Army recently began to require all employees in its Social Services for Children division to fill out a form on which they: a) identify their church affiliation and all other churches attended for the past decade, b) authorize their religious leaders to reveal private communications to The Salvation Army; and c) pledge to adhere to the religious mission of The Salvation Army which, according to The Salvation Army, is to 'preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.'"
• They are hardcore followers of "Scripture." So yes, ladies, we are officially still considered inferior to our "husbands," are not allowed to date or marry other women, and deserve to be stoned (and not the hypothetically good kind) if we're not obedient. Yay!
• They function as a billion dollar multinational corporation, but are exempt from taxes, because the government considers them to technically be a church.
• They raised $20.5 million dollars for disaster relief in Haiti. Which is seriously awesome. Except for the fact that only $6.8 million of that money actually went to Haiti. And many people are still displaced, hungry, living in tents, and sick. (Sign this petition @Change.org if you want something to be done about it!)
• The Salvation Army has a long history of sexual abuse cases-- internationally. The most recent involves a swim team. (Yea, who didn't see that one coming?)
• They are "at war" against "social evils." I'm not even touching that.
• Officers are forced to sign contracts stating they can only marry other officers of the "Army." Yes, the Salvation Army tells you who you can or cannot marry...
• But those officers also get a pretty sweet deal-- free housing, in million dollar neighborhoods! Yay! The Salvation Army spends quite a bit of money buying houses... But what's a couple million? The poor and homeless are used to not having any money-- they won't miss it! Surely they would understand how important it is for officers to have a nice hot tub to relax in after spending so much time with the dirty beggars at the soup kitchen...
• Very questionable finances. I mean, I really don't know many people who can buy a $435,000 house with cash, or who lose $400 million dollars a year between income and expenses (source is lost somewhere among the million tabs I currently have open in Firefox... Working on it! Oh, here's one from Forbes)

Do they do great work? Absolutely. But to me, that's not enough. I'm rather disgusted by all of this. So I'll be in search of a new charity, and I hope this has convinced you as well. If you know of a good one, now's a great time to share! (I know there's some reason why I also avoid the Red Cross if possible. Someone needs to remind me... Oh, I remember. Less than 10 cents out of every dollar donated ever actually goes towards something. Or was it out of every $5... I don't remember.)

Sunday Updates - Post Rally4Sanity

Alright, you know I've been talking about it, everyone else is talking about it, blah blah it's the latest thing-- the Rally for Sanity and/or Fear. While I was there, I did have some mixed feelings regarding the actual content and execution-- the energy level I expected simply wasn't there. It was slow, and quiet, and rather low-key for a rally. I mean, really, John Legend? To me, rallies should be "peppy" and lively, regardless of cause. The point is to engage people, not put them to sleep! And for such a large crowd, to spend so much time playing music (the Roots were on for almost 40 minutes) just left us all standing there, watching more so than participating. For all the hype, I honestly thought it would've been... I don't know, more, on some level. It just took a while to get to the heart of it all, the Stewart/Colbert spark and snark we all love. When they finally did, it was great.  Ultimately, I do think it was a huge success, with numbers far outshining those of some of this year's previous rallies at the National Mall-- it's estimated that the Rally For Sanity and/or Fear drew a crowd of about 250,000 people. (You know, just in case you care about that sort of thing - the whole "we beat Beck!" thing, I mean. Mainstream/Sanity "won" over Extreme/Fringe Crazy. Meh.)


Oops. lol. So I guess I may've cheered for the wrong thing this one time.. I think I misheard something or other... Oh well. If you haven't heard by now, it was seriously difficult to hear or any of what was going on. By the time the 10,000 HuffPost bus riders arrived, most of the available space was all the way back by the Washington Memorial, and there were only a few JumboTron screens set up in the middle, by the Smithsonian and the Air & Space Museum (where I was). For at least an hour and a half of the rally, the speakers were too low/quiet for any of us in the middle and back to really hear anything. And even then, the sound would falter in and out, before the chants of "Louder! Louder!" started, before it was later replaced with "Louder, please! Louder, please!" :-D (See, we were polite and cordial with each other, and it was wonderful!) News reports of the rally referred to is as "underpowered." Say it like it is, guys -- the speaker system was crap. They should have known what to expect-- and that goes for the city transit as well. Someone decided to shut down several of the closest entrances to the Metro right when the rally ended. Yay, geniuses!

The Rally/March's schedule was kept a secret up until... well, til it happened. Which made for some pretty cool surprises - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ozzy Osbourne and Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam (same guy, name change for some reason...), & the Mythbusters (which, no offense guys, was kind of lame actually. We love to see them blow things up and do geeky science things, but when we can't hear what the hell you're trying to do/measure and all we see are a bunch of cues on the screens, well... Point not made. Just felt silly and irrelevant. Rather insane, actually.)

I definitely feel like, despite the "distraction" of the entertainment - all of the random musical performances and typical Stewart/Colbert comedy-- the point of the day was pushed hard, especially during Stewart's final speech. It's not about picking sides, or sensationalizing the crazy. We work together every day for the little things, we can work together to get the big things done too. There are the extremes and radicals-- but there are more of us in between than both ends put together. So when we ignore the crazies, and partisanship, and psycho-fringe babble about the world coming to an end, we remember that life isn't all that crazy. (I take that back. Stewart, speak for yourself! XD) We're not as different as we (or, as Stewart stressed, the media) try to make ourselves out to be. (I feel like I said that before... Ah, I remember. In an earlier post on politics & conservative/liberal values, I said that ultimately we all want the same things, and we do value the same things. We just have apparently different views on how to our goals.) And Stewart and Colbert did this cute little song about how no one is more American than anyone else here, and everyone can be patriotic in their own way. You already know how I feel about that (agree wholeheartedly, if not fervently.) All in all, it was a fun (and exhausting) day.

Some of our favorite signs/slogans:

• Down With This Sort of Thing...
• Anyone for Scrabble Later?
• Equal Opportunity Lover - I Hate-Fucked a Republican!
• I Masturbate AND Vote! (though usually not at the same time)

While the insanity of America may finally slow down (especially once the mid-terms are over), the insanity of my life is about to pick up. Midnight begins NaNoWriMo!!! Though I'm not sure I'm ready to start yet... I don't plan on writing the entire 50,000 words, but I would like to get at least halfway through... Anyway, I won't be around for a while, so remember this- stay sane, America! Don't get sucked into this crappy political hell of name-calling and violence. Listen, learn, & love. And don't forget to vote on Tuesday! (I can't wait until all of these stupid campaign signs go away. They're plastic/not biodegradable/non-recyclable, look horrible plastered all over the damn highways, and honestly, I stopped caring a while ago.)


Another thing - I'm officially dropping the Discovery network boycott. I can't bring myself to start watching again, because I made a promise/commitment and I like to keep those. But I don't see a point anymore. I've never been a fan of "reality" shows other than the dance competitions, because I find the shows in general to be extremely exploitative. This show is no different, other than the fact that it also features a person whose personality and political history I dislike; and that political history directly conflicts with the overall purpose and message of the network. She does not practice what she preaches (to some point, thankfully), but what she preaches is exactly what the network has been fighting against, especially regarding animal rights and the environment. (If you weren't aware, TreeHugger & Planet Green are part of the Discovery Network, along with Animal Planet.) The only way the network is dropping the show is if their ratings are terrible and no one's making money. So from here on out, the focus is getting the advertisers to drop out, and convincing people to simply avoid the show altogether. I think once people actually see what it's about, odds are few people will watch it, or like it, and it will all fizzle out on its own. Wishful thinking, but what else can we do? An ineffective boycott is an unproductive means of achieving one's goal, so it's time to regroup and restrategize.

RIP, Zach Harrington :'(

I hope everyone had a  National Coming Out Day -- really. We've all seen so much heartache over the past 2 months especially... and so much hatred. We are who we are, and we should be proud of that, but because of society, it can be a very difficult process... I should know, I'm going through it myself. (As of 9/6/10, I'm officially "bisexual," if you haven't heard. Putting the B back in LGBT... So I can say it out loud now. Just not IRL yet... working on that.)

Sadly, I didn't come here to share that, or good news... I have some terrible news... This past weekend saw yet another tragic homophobia-related suicide :-( and I would like to ask you all to keep Zach Harrington, & all LGBT youth, in your thoughts (and/or prayers, if you believe in them).

Please support the Trevor Project, a national crisis center and hotline for LGBT youth, or the Human Rights Campaign at www.hrc.org. Please. This has to end.




If you are suicidal, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), provides access to trained telephone counselors, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Sunday Updates! (I remembered this time!)

So the past few weeks have been pretty crazy... I need to be quick about this, because I have like a million tabs open & I don't have time to mess with a Firefox crash tonight & it's already past my bedtime.

• Obligatory Sunday Anti-Tea-Party comments: 
•  UK group allies with tea party (I'm pretty sure I mentioned this months ago, if not last year. Old news or new group?? I think it's a new group...)
• Environmental News: Today was 10/10/10, day of work for climate change. I failed, as far as I'm concerned, but will be making it up as I go by doing a little extra something each day... I don't really know much of what happened today other than what Greenpeace said on Twitter, but I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later.
• What's Happening in Washington?
• It would seem that the federal government doesn't plan to stop foreclosures just because some of them might be legit & accurate. Um, duh-- Temporarily delaying all foreclosures gives you a chance to figure out which ones were just irresponsible people who knowingly got themselves into a bad financial situation, & which ones were the result of the practices of the unscrupulous banks that tricked many people into contracts they couldn't handle, and rushed into the foreclosure process without properly examining the documents and files, just to make a buck. If you're just going to keep doing what you're doing without taking the time to make sure you're doing it right, why bother pointing out the problem at all? I mean, really, if you're just going to ignore it, why even waste our time explaining why there's a problem and you won't fix it? We're all too busy trying to keep our houses from being stolen because the bank "forgot to read the papers" that said we've already paid off the mortgages. Nope, go ahead and keep rushing through it, I'm sure that'll help just oh so much.
  
• Caribou Barbie: Does anyone care? I still don't.
• Can't we All Just Get Along? Peace & Unity In the US- Or not.:
• I'm too pissed off by this story to go into details, but firefighters stood and watched as a family's house burned down to the ground, because they forgot pay a $75 subscription fee for fire protection service. (This article is wonderfully biased. I wasn't going to share, but really, read it anyway.) When the firefighters arrived, the owner offered to pay any amount to get them to do something, and they refused. Thankfully, there are a bunch of wonderful, kindhearted people out there who have raised over $15,000 for this family. I don't have anything nice to say about the unethical behavior of the fire department, so I'm not going to say anything except - you fucking suck, & this is what annoys me most about Ayn Rand & capitalism & strict libertarianism. This world, this society is NOT about "every man for himself," but about a species working together for the common good and for survival. How the hell can anyone put money & greed over someone's life?!?! It's not like he didn't try to get the money to you anyway! What the hell is wrong with you!? (Is what I want to say. But I won't. I'll just quietly seethe over here until I can figure out how Karma is going to right this injustice...) What if someone were trapped inside? Would they have just let them die trying to find a way out? That shouldn't even be a question, but after reading this story, I really have to ask. (UPDATE: 3 dogs and a cat were trapped inside...) It would've been far more ethical if they had done something and then just billed the family later, but no, they had to stand there like a bunch of useless bastards who didn't care that a family lost their home and everything in it. Why bother sticking around to watch if you're not going to do anything about it?!?! It would have been better if they didn't show up at all- I would still be pissed off, but I could understand it more than what they did. When you can't see what's happening, it's easy to distance yourself from a situation. But when it's right there in front of you, and you know you have the power to do something, but you just stand there and watch horrible things happen right before your eyes and you feel NOTHING, I don't understand that. How do you sleep at night? "Just following orders" doesn't cut it for me. Even if my boss said not to do anything, I feel I have a moral responsibility as an ethical human being to help someone in need when I can. As a firefighter, well I know they're supposed to make that promise too. That's your fucking job. If anyone needs any more evidence as to why privatization of public services is the worst thing one could ever do in regards to ensuring the needs of society are met, look no further than this. We pay taxes so that things like this don't happen. If you have a problem with that, get over it. Lives are more important.
• According to this poll, more republicans support a strip club over a "mosque"?! [facepalm] Ok, this is why I hate polls. Either they're horribly inaccurate and misrepresented, or they show that an irritating proportion of the American population is incredibly stupid and hypocritical. And sometimes, it's both. So let me break down what this actually says - 21% of republicans polled said they'd be ok with a strip club at the old Burlington Coat Factory building where Park51/Cordoba House is supposed to be built. Only 4% of republicans polled said they're ok with a mosque being built there. (33%  of polled Democrats say strip club is fine, & 49% say they're ok with a mosque. Independents are 28% strip club & 34% mosque. Yes, we Indies are made of 35% mosque, and a quarter sweaty g-strings & wadded dollar bills...)
• Immigration Reform: Seems like it's all on hold until after the elections...
• Stewart/Colbert: Huge rally on 10/30 in DC!!! And guess what??? I'm going to be there!!! w00t!! Maybe I'll even attempt to live blog/tweet from my iphone. If I remember.
• Coffee Party USA: I gots nothin'. I think there's a meeting this week in NYC about something to do with the implications of the Citizens United decision, but I can't recall when.
• LGBT rights: Tomorrow is National Coming Out Day. Please, please, please sign a petition, post a message on FB/Twitter, or write a letter to your local schools/school board about addressing bullying in schools. Let LGBT people know that there are people out there who will stand up for them, that it's ok be who you are and that we will NOT stand for unfair treatment! Providing a safe and accepting environment for students is crucial to their learning, development, and well-being. No one should ever have to deal with bullying-- or worse:
• The Gay Pride parade in Belgrade, Serbia was disrupted when thousands of anti-gay rioters (est. 6000) attacked the crowd with Molotov Cocktails and stun grenades.
• On the one hand, stories like this almost make me feel like we're lucky that in the US, LGBT pride isn't as big of a deal... Sure, you have the religious nuts & super-conservatives trying desperately to roll back gay rights, and horrifying stories of bullying and the Westboro Baptist Church, but we've still made considerable progress. So I think for tomorrow, whether you're LGBT or not, let's all be be thankful and proud that any American is even able to celebrate NCOD, as we continue to support each other and fight for the rights that we all deserve, no matter what country or orientation. I refuse to marry anyone until we have equal marriage rights for all citizens. (Especially if I were to end up with a woman... I wouldn't really have much of a choice then, would I...)
• Completely Random & Unimportant: Midge & Skipper have last names?! & Husbands??? Husbands with last names! Wikipedia must be lying, right? I feel so cheated! My Barbies never came with last names, I had to make them myself!!! (XD & I would've loved to have the African-American Oreo Barbie. As offensive as that is, I'd finally have a Barbie I can relate to! I still get called that... [sigh] Seems like it's only about $50 on ebay... Might have to check that out, lol...)
• Also related to Barbie - cute Nissan commercial. & of course, Mattel sued.

"My neighbor is a Tea Partier...?!"

I can't believe it's October already.

Anyway, I spend all morning upset about... my previous post, so I'm trying to take my mind off of it for a few hours. I've been reading around the WaPost forums (lol taking a break from HuffPost!) and there's this one thread about "how would you react if you found out a close friend/neighbor was a Tea Party member?" Ohhh, this is fun. Apparently TPers are upset that they're being shunned by their friends and unfriended on Facebook. (I kid you not.) I have a hard time feeling sympathy for them, to be perfectly honest, especially after all that's happened in my own life with Tea Party "friends" and neighbors. Ever since I saw that damn Gadsen flag on my street, I've had daydreams about stealing it or setting it on fire... Things I would never do, because I believe them to be wrong and unethical, but I find the use of that flag to be so offensive... Everything it's being used to represent...

I was driving down our lovely new roads, with the brand new "Putting America Back to Work" signs that look like this:

Yes, that one. The potholes! They're finally being fixed! We have new, perfectly smooth roads for the first time in years! And jobs! It's amazing! Exclamation point! But anyway, so I was leaving the library and heading down Cottrell towards 34, while thinking about these Tea Party folks and their nonsense... They don't want to pay for the roads, but they want to use them and they want them to be nice. They don't want the government to spend money on things, but they want things from the government. "Keep your government hands off my Medicare and my Social Security! Despite the fact that Medicare is a government health insurance program & Social Security is evil & needs to get cut because no one should get a handout! Come near me and I'll call the cops, whose funding I plan to cut because I don't believe in chipping in for socialist programs that help the entire community!" I mean really, cognitive dissonance anyone? Please? I know that requires actually thinking about what you're saying, and understanding it, but seriously, I'm getting tired of this selfish "stupidity" act. (I know, I'm being mean today. I can't be nice all of the time, can I? I certainly try, but customer service does that to you...)

But back to the forum. Really, it's one thing when people can respectfully disagree with one another without getting nasty all of the time, but every time I've ever tried to discuss something with a TPer, or tried to just end the conversation peacefully and suggest we stop talking about politics, all I ever got in return was nasty, rude, ignorant & racist bullshit and people trying to continue to force their views on me. So yes, if I see something like that on Facebook, or if someone tries to start a political conversation and can't disagree without being a total psychotic bitch/bastard, fuck it, they're getting ignored. Just putting a big Fuck Off button on it and moving on.

(Ooo, just learned a new word - Eristic: Adj; disputatious, marked by specious reasoning. "FNC watchers and "teabaggers" who follow jerks like Glenn Beck, tend to be an eristic and irrational lot who like to argue, but clearly don't have the proper logic and facts to back it up." Eristic. :-P)

So let me just say again, it's not the party itself that annoys me, it's the hatred and ignorance it promotes. It's one thing to promote "small government," and lower taxes; It's understandable that they should be concerned or upset. But it's completely another to deny civil rights, say that anyone who doesn't think like you is "un-American," force your religion on the rest of the country -- & when I was growing up I was always told that even when you disagree with the President, you're supposed to be respectful because he's the elected leader of your country. It's un-patriotic to be disrespectful and unsupportive, and it sends a negative message to other countries. And this was coming from the "conservatives." The worst I've ever called any president is "idiot," and that was after he was out of office. He's admitted it himself too. I can't even repeat all of the horrific things I've heard about Obama. He's received 400% more death threats per year than President Bush. That's 400% of 3,000 = 12,000 death threats per year, over 30 per day. Disgusting... So tell me again why I shouldn't avoid people like this? I have no problem whatsoever with people who can politely disagree, represent a coherent, logical argument with facts to back it up, or people with moderate, non-partisan views. But this vile rhetoric, I don't have to put up with that.

So, all things considered... Yea, you have my answer.


(Fun Fact: Obama's Secret Service codename is "Renegade." ^^" Leave it to this guy to get such a sekushi name :P His wife has a very appropriate, classy codename as well - Renaissance.)

-

LGBT Suicide "Epidemic" - Tragic, Avoidable, & I'm really pissed off.

Um, wow. I'm telling you now, be prepared for an angry rant. Such a horrible situation already, and now I'm seeing all of these hateful, bigoted comments-- including this one person (who has been quoted in many AP news articles) who seems to implies that it's his fault? I'm assuming it's just been taken out of context, but her comment as written makes it sounds as if his choice of sex partner is entirely to blame- not the people who felt obligated to exploit him, to expose his private life to the world without his consent. Even if it's not what she intended, that's how it sounds, and it only points out so many problems in our society that many are unwilling and/or too uncaring to address.

You're probably wondering what I'm talking about... Rutgers student Tyler Clementi committed suicide. Why? There were likely many other issues, but in addition to anything else he may have been dealing with, his jackass of a roommate outed him by secretly recording Tyler having sex with another man using a webcam (activated from a friend's room), and streaming the video live on the internet. Oh, and planning to do it again 2 days later, and announcing it on Twitter.

And why am I so pissed off? This is too infuriating for rational thought... I'm just sick of it. And don't say my anger is misplaced-- the only thing that pisses me off more than someone who does something so cruel and hateful is someone who defends them or blames the victim

"Had he been in bed with a woman, this would not have happened," said Lauren Felton, 21, of Warren. "He wouldn't have been outed via an online broadcast and his privacy would have been respected and he might still have his life." (pick a news site, any site. HuffPost, ABC, whatever.)

(Lauren, if you're reading this by some weird twist of fate, please don't take it personally. I thought the name was kind of randomly placed in the first article I read, so I tried to do some research. I think I may have an idea of who you might be from what I've pieced together from news articles and what appears to be your website(?), and I'm not trying to attack you, but I'm just very concerned about what your statement implies. I'd love to know the original context. We'll take this as a lesson in "it's not so much what you said but how you said it and/or how it was portrayed.") For a moment, I'm going to assume she simply meant that this happened because he's probably gay or bisexual, and a lot of people have a problem with homosexuality for whatever reasons and therefore feel a need to pick on and harass those who are. I really want to believe that's what she meant. I'm sure it is, and I'm just over-analyzing things as usual. But honestly, that is not what it sounds like, and honestly, I don't believe it's true either.(Can I also mention, before I get too into this, that same-sex sexual encounters don't necessarily make a person gay, and it really isn't the place of anyone to define another's sexuality. That being said, as there is evidence of Tyler frequenting forums for gay men, among other things, I'm going to assume he was probably gay or bisexual. Either way, it's no one else's fucking business what he was doing.)

What it sounds like is that this crime happened simply because he's gay, like the fact that he enjoyed having sex with another man is some sort of dirty crime and implies a "well if you had done what you were supposed to be doing..." Like "had you not gone and fucked up your life by doing something consensual that you clearly enjoyed doing, you never would have convinced your friends to out and exploit you on the internet by secretly spying on you and broadcasting it to the world. Had your roommate seen you with a woman, he totally would have shut off the camera and left the room, because he's just oh so cool like that." That is what it sounds like. Not "his roommate was being an asshole because he doesn't like gay people" but "you totally brought this upon yourself by getting caught fucking a guy."

So do you believe his roommate wouldn't have videotaped him having sex and broadcast it to the entire world, had Tyler not been with another man? So all of this happened simply because Tyler was a closeted homosexual? It has nothing to do with his "friend's" lack of integrity and respect or the fact that he can't mind his own fucking business and has to hurt the people around him in order to make himself feel important or special??? Not to even mention his accomplice? (It was from her computer that the roommate activated his webcam and broadcast the video feed.) What the fuck was she thinking?

What they did was not only incredibly rude and invasive and disrespectful, but cruel. Once is one thing- still horrifically wrong, but the idea that they could do it over and over again, without any feelings of remorse or guilt or anything of the sort, is absolutely appalling. And they get a slap on the wrist of "invasion of privacy," maximum (but highly unlikely) 5 years in prison maybe a little fine, and that's the end of the story? Whatever happened to expulsion, charged with a hate crime, etc.? Does this not violate some sort of school honor codes, since clearly neither cares about a moral code??? (And yes, I would definitely consider this bullying/harassment, which does in fact fall under the category of "hate crime," and the fact that via Twitter, the roommate announced that he "found out my roommate is gay" does seem to indicate that his subsequent actions against Tyler were directly related to the "fact," or his belief, that Tyler is [hypothetically] gay. By definition, that qualifies for "hate crime" status.) According to Tyler Clementi himself, Rutgers does in fact have a policy where a recorded invasion of privacy can lead to explusion. Though the issue was that there wasn't an actual recorded copy of the encounter, just evidence that it had been shared via Twitter and a video chat site. Also, Tyler had repeatedly attempted to change rooms once he figured out what was going on, but never got the go-ahead. Why is that? What is so infuriating is that none of this should have happened, from the roommate's actions to the RA's actions to Tyler's death...

You know, I really was wary when I read a Change.org blog post earlier about the "gay suicide epidemic" in Minnesota. The deaths of 3 teens within a year is incredibly sad and tragic, but to call it an epidemic... I don't doubt that it had something to do with bullying and the fact that they were a part of the LGBT community. I'm just wary about calling anything an epidemic... but they're right. Epidemic - n. A widespread and growing problem.This is a huge problem. And you know what it is? Bullies, intolerance, bigotry hatred. Those who can't tolerate other people for WHO THEY ARE. 9 out of every 10 LGBT students are bullied in school.

And they are also 4 times more likely to commit suicide.

Just last week a 13-yr old in California killed himself because of bullies and gay jokes. 13!! He told his parents that morning that he was gay (and they were very accepting), by lunchtime he had been pushed down a flight of stairs, and by the time his parents got home, he had attempted to hang himself from a tree. He died Tuesday in the hospital. A few days before he died, another 13 year old in Texas shot himself because of harassment. A 15 year old in Minnesota hung himself. Another 15 year old in Indiana...

How can anyone be so cruel?! How can anyone not be horrified by what's going on? I don't understand how or why anyone can be accepting of this. Believe me, I know how it feels to want to die, and what it takes to reach that point... I also know what it's like to be the victim of "gay jokes" and harassment. Not only from kids at school, but from my own family. And now that my "label" is shifting, I can't even think about talking about it.It's strange - just this morning I was excited and somewhat relieved that my boss is openly gay and has a partner, and everyone at work seems so cool with it. I thought maybe, if things do begin to shift in that direction for me, if I am bi, I might be ok with sharing it. I would feel supported. And just a few hours later, I was hit with all of this again. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to deal with this at 13. As much as I'm still struggling with some of it now... Life at 13 was hard enough as it was-- I remember how it was to want to be able to be yourself at such a tumultuous time in your life, and know that should you ever appear to be "different," a long period of shunning and bullying and harassment and teasing awaited you.

Right now, I'm just too pissed off to continue this... Children aren't born with intolerance, it's learned. For young children, "different" doesn't exist until it's been pointed out, until it's created. So please, please please please teach your children to love diversity & not hate or fear difference.

Sunday Updates - What's going on out there?

Ok, let's try this. I still haven't finished that special post, because I've barely been home this weekend & haven't really been in the mood either. But I'm in such a great mood now, I figured hell why not see what's going on in the world. I'm going to try to make this a weekly Sunday thing. This way, we can recap last week and prepare for the new week all at the same time... Well, it sounded like a good idea before I said it :-D

Alright, here we go:

• Obligatory Sunday Anti-Tea-Party Op-Ed: Tea Party Talking Points, Translated Ok, enough silly fringe talk, let's get back to reality.
• Environmental News
• Gulf Oil Spill Update: BP well has officially been declared dead. Now if only we could get a proper cleanup going... The oil's still there, & the dispersants...
• Well this is just ridiculous - a Care2 blogger has issued a challenge, it seems. Wear only 6 items of clothing for an entire month. Buying less clothes is one thing, but simply wearing less is far more difficult for those of us who work, especially when we get dirty at work or have other obligations that require specific attire. And I DO pretty much wear the same outfit every day! (Uniform at work, though I do alternate between shirts & pants, & wash it all every few days or as needed.) Yes, life is easier when you don't have to think about what to wear in the morning, but for the majority of us, it's just not that practical or viable. I can only say that constantly doing tiny loads of laundry in order to have clean clothes & underwear for work is a bigger waste of energy than it's worth.
• Food & Diet: It seems that science continues to support what I've been saying about HFCS. (Which I guess makes sense, since my opinion is based on that science to begin with... I had this whole long rant on myspace regarding this, & myths surrounding soy...) Research regarding its effects on metabolism has been utterly inconclusive. As of right now, independent research it really is no worse for you than regular sugar. Sugar is sugar is sugar (though I would really suggest you go with more natural sugars, like beet or stevia or honey. Not because they're "better or you" or anything like that. Less random chemicals added, less refining, etc. But again, sugar is sugar. They're all pretty high in fructose, including honey and agave nectar, so seriously, just limit your sugar intake and you'll be fine.) It's not particularly good for you, like any other refined sugar product, but it's not going to kill you any faster than that other crap you're eating. It's the amount you're eating, not the product itself. But of course, it is in no way, shape, or form a "natural" product. Sorry, but it really pisses me off when items are marked "all natural" when they contain loads of artificial preservatives, flavorings, sweeteners, or colors. I'm so sick of green-washing -_-" but I'm also sick of the holier-than-thou attitudes of the Whole Foods/Trader Joes shoppers who snap at me for drinking a non-organic soda from Pathmark every once in a while. To each her own, ok? I may be a nature-loving eco-geek who screams at her mother for attempting to throw out an uncut 6-pack holder (that stupid plastic ring thing) on her birthday ("You're going to kill a dolphin !!!") & then fishes it out of the garbage & chops it up & then hides it with the recycling so it doesn't end up in the ocean, but jeez, lighten up a bit! :-P
• Also, you can check out this: Food Myths Busted. (most of it seems like old news, but still interesting.)
• What's Happening in Washington?
• w00t!! Elizabeth Warren has been appointed to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau! Sort of. We did it! (or rather, Obama realized that she really is the best candidate for some sort of advisory position regarding the bureau, & our incessant urging probably helped somewhat... maybe.) As the case may be, Warren is now a presidential economic advisor regarding the Bureau, and will be assisting the president in choosing a director... So... Looks like the job may not be hers. Harsh, man... Chins up, fellow liberals & progressives. It's not over yet.
• I'm starting to think that all politicians from Alaska are a little loopy. Unemployment benefits are unconstitutional?? I'm not even going to touch that, read it for yourself.
• It seems the GOP doesn't know what to do about the healthcare law. How about leave it alone. Or help us make it better.
• Between Palin & Angle & this O'Donnell character, I just really don't want to know. I don't care if she's dabbled in witchcraft or whatever she thinks she did (since Wicca has nothing to do with Satanism or Satanic altars...). So have I. I still have my Book of Shadows. (I wrote this really long spell/poem in calligraphy, I can't bear to throw it out!) Really, I just can't get past this whole "masturbation is adultery" thing. Last I checked, you had to be married to commit adultery. And she was a teenager when she said that, talking about other teenagers... who were probably not married. So what she's saying is you can't have sex with yourself, or someone of your own gender, or someone you're not married to, or allow yourself to ever feel or express any of your own 100% natural sexual urges even if you're not married because God gets angry & throws a tantrum when you're cheating on your non-existent spouse with your hand? And somehow it appears to make her feel like less of a person because her boyfriend doesn't need her in order to have an orgasm? And somehow that means she doesn't matter at all and might as well not be there? Hmm... Methinks her 1999 logic is a wee bit flawed, yes? News flash, honey: you can do it too, and I'm sure your boyfriend, or invisible husband, won't mind. Hopefully you've learned that by now. Plus I'm pretty sure the Monty Python gang had a go [video] at something like this too XD.
• P.S. - this woman is so damn annoying as a teen [video]. Typical nonsensical & religious crap. And the fact that she still seems to stand by a lot of it is pretty sad IMO. But Eddie Izzard was awesome, as he still is now.
• Tax Cuts: According to CNN, some economists believe we should extend the Bush Tax Cuts for everyone. I respectfully disagree. Middle class & lower class, fine, I've come to accept that as a necessary action, but the wealthy? Don't ever ask me to agree with you on that. I may not be a financial expert, but I'm not bad at math. Or logic. The government needs money to do good things for the country. The rich people have lots of money. Poor people don't. The poor people are great at spending money (because they have to in order to survive), and the rich people are great at saving money (because they have that luxury, among many others). Therefore, if you're going to take desperately needed money anyway, take it from the people who actually have it while either reducing or maintaining the burden on those who don't. Duh? We already know that "trickle-down" theory is complete and utter bullshit, so don't bother. Like I said, the rich are great at saving money. There's no reason why they should invest it in society voluntarily if they don't have to (other than the few altruists in the bunch). The top 2% will be just fine. A person doesn't need a $10 billion bonus in order to survive, but trust me, a $400 paycheck every few weeks is desperately needed if that's all you can get.
• Caribou Barbie: Does anyone care? I don't.
• Can't we All Just Get Along? Peace & Unity In the US: Check out One Nation Working Together.
• Immigration Reform: It would seem that we'll finally get a proper vote on the DREAM Act this week!!! If you missed my earlier posts on it, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act provides a conditional path to citizenship for undocumented minors who arrived in the US under the age of 16, provided they are accepted into college or join the military for at least 2 years.
• Stewart/Colbert: Huge rally on 10/30 in DC!!! Wish I could be there :-(
• Coffee Part USA: This upcoming Friday begins the Convention in Kentucky. If you can't make it (like me...), you can check out www.democracymeetup.com for information about what's going on, or watch the live stream of the conference here [video].
• LGBT rights: Well of course we'll always have bigots & homophobes who want to make homosexuality illegal, but those of us who actually give a fuck about equal rights for all can...
• TAKE ACTION: Via Care2 & the Human Rights Campaign, a Petition to pass ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) to prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation. Federal laws currently only prohibit discrimination based on age, ethnicity, religion, nationality, & gender (not including transsexuals/transgender people, however.) Though my lovely state has a pretty decent anti-discrimination policy, if I do say so myself... at least, compared to the federal laws. We all still have a long way to go regarding marriage rights, however. (We recognize same-sex domestic parnerships, or a civil union with almost all of the same exact rights as a marriage, but thanks to DOMA, well... "Nevermind." Now's the time when we should miss Corzine (as if there ever were a time when we shouldn't. I had nothing against the guy except his smear campaign during the election & the fact that not much major happened during his term, which is why I preferred the Independent...) If it had ever been put before him, he would've signed same-sex marriage into law... & our current moron said he'd veto it. But enough about us, let's get on with the rest of the country...
• DADT: In addition to the DREAM Act, Harry Reid has included a repeal of DADT in the Defense Authorization Bill (which authorizes more military spending -_-" A worthy trade off? I hope so.) With the recent court ruling that DADT is unconstitutional (!!!), there has been a significant push for repeal now. Let's hope it goes through! (Haha, though I have to say I'm a little disappointed that I no longer have a surefire excuse to get out of military service should I ever be drafted. But if it keeps soldiers safe within their own ranks, and protects them from unfair abuse and discrimination, I'd gladly give that up!)

So, look at that! I got through the whole week's news without getting depressed too! Not bad. Anyway, I'm off to tell yet another "I want a threesome with a black girl!" bastard to fuck off. Don't ask, I don't want to tell. Well, ok, it sounds like a nice policy at face value, in some areas. You know, when someone's job or safety isn't on the line. No one should ever be forced to reveal information about their private lives. However, as that isn't the case...

I read a story of this one woman... She was a sergeant, I believe, and several of the men under her found out that she was a lesbian. They raped her, repeatedly, over the course of a year, and forced her to do other kinds of demeaning, violent sexual acts, under threat of telling the commanders her secret and getting her fired . And then they told them anyway. She was discharged from the army. The men never received any sort of punishment whatsoever. This woman lost everything because of this horrible law... her privacy, her safety, her rights, her peace of mind, her body, her career, her life. And thousands of men and women are abused everyday and can't say a word for fear of losing the careers they've spend their entire lives working towards-- a career in which they have literally put their lives on the line for their fellow soldiers and citizens. Because of who they love. Because of hate and fear and bigotry and religious zealots forcing their misguided beliefs on others. Tell me how that's just.

If my fucking state can promise that no one will ever have to be subjected this kind of treatment because of their orientation, why can't my government? Why can't the military?!?!?  

REPEAL DADT NOW!

I guess I wanted to be upset tonight.

Politics, as usual...

I'm Ba-ack! lol

Alright, that was a lovely little break, but what can I say, I love politics or something like that. This weekend is shaping up to be... interesting, to say the least. Why, you ask? Well, let's see. Beck & Palin are throwing themselves a little shindig in "honor" of 9/11-- you know, the same Glenn Beck who said he hated 9/11 families & widows because they complained too much? Yea, well apparently, for a "reasonable" price, starting as low as $65, you too can be a part of the hypocrisy!!! YAY! Not enough excitement for you? Meet up with the Westboro Baptist Church, or find the Dove World Outreach Center for a book-burning sure to enrage thousands, if not millions all over the world. Because only the Bible is worth reading-- but only certain lines. After all, Jesus must've been really high or something when he said to love everyone and be tolerant of others, right? The damned hippie. Can't have that, now can we? Woo-hoo.

Right, what was I saying? So we have the Bigot Parade on one end of the city, & Al Sharpton's little party/picnic a few blocks away... I don't see that going well, but then again, I'm pretty sure I'd believe one side to behave themselves more so than the other.

Oh, and by the way - Speaking of tolerant - Has someone sane actually hacked into Palin's Facebook account? Because seriously, that last comment sounds nothing like her-- well, her writer, I mean. (I don't think Palin can spell antithetical, let alone pronounce it.) She  might want to look into that... or get herself tested for dissociative identity disorder. Her sane side is still being smothered, but she's trying to get a message out to the rest of the world - "help!"

UPDATE:  This weekend's meeting of hateful Book-burning "Christians" has been "postponed"! Seems the leader is slightly delusional and thinks his agreement not to burn a Qu'ran on Saturday is a good enough reason to move Park51. (It is NOT being moved. And if someone tries, I swear, I will be there to protest, and I will be loud. Religious tolerance and freedom will not bow down to intimidation, fear and intolerance. Park51 stays where it is.) Seems he thinks first Amendment rights should only belong to him and his followers. "Now, we all have the constitutional right to freedom of religion here, so I won't do something offensive that will anger millions of people around the world and potentially cause international backlash and violence towards Americans, if you move your rec center a few blocks to the left-- no, a little further.... further... No, you're still too close, try the other side of that big salty puddle over there. You know what, on second thought, why don't you all just go back to the Middle East, because we don't want your kind over here and we just think you'd be so much more comfortable back where you belong."

Would it be so horribly depressing if I mentioned I honestly didn't actually make most of that up? (I'd say "big salty puddle" is mine... &... hmm... Oh, & that thing about angering people-- but not the second part of that sentence, that international backlash thing since that's actually pretty damn real. But yea, those 2 parts are mine.) Not from Terry Jones, for the most part, because I honestly don't feel he's worth listening to, but comments on news articles, and blogs, & youtube, & on the news... This is what "dialogue" in our country has been reduced to. Bullshit. And as much as I can't stand Palin, or her suddenly-sane writer, this time she's actually right (for once). Sort of. (The first part of her post, equating burning a Qu'ran to building Park 51, a community center with a prayer room, is complete and utter bullshit. What we've come to expect from her anyway.) "...mean-spirited religious intolerance"? Before I even get into all that's wrong with that (namely, the person it's supposedly coming from), I have to say, that's exactly what ALL of this has been-- from "bastard children," to sex education & abstinence, to the same-sex marriage, to abortion, to anti-Semitism, to anti-Islamic sentiment, to the supposed Al-Qaida members themselves. Is there anything I've mentioned that isn't in some way directly tied ro religious intolerance? Are any of these issues separate from "well, my God says..."? And can you say that none of the protests, or bickering, or violence directly connected to these issues are mean-spirited or intolerant? Of course not. Instead of building walls between ourselves, we should be working to break them down. But religion itself has become a bulwark for intolerance, when we're told it's what will make this world a better place... I'll believe that when I see it. Yes, religion plays a huge role in the development of morality and societal rules. But no one religion is more important than any other. We are NOT a Christian nation, but one of multiple, interconnected belief systems, multiple cultures and peoples. And we have to learn to respect that. I may not like what you have to say, or what you preach, or hell even how you practice, but as long as you're not hurting anyone, whether that pain be physical, emotional, symbolic, whatever, go right ahead, do what you like. Just stop pretending we have to believe in it too.




Now, about this Palin comment... o boy... I'll be nice and not say anything... here. You can check out my rants page for that (look over at the top of the side panel). Latest comments are always at the bottom...

And last but not least, let's throw in a promotion - Check out StopBeck.com.

"Hypocrisy: If they’re a Terrorist, you’re a Racist "-- By Storyteller Knight

All Catholic priests are rapists.
All members of the Tea Party are violent racists.
All Southern Conservative Christians are too dumb to tie their own shoes.

I can hear you all yelling at me right now. Yes, I know that it is wrong and unfair to blame an entire group of people for the abhorrent actions of a few. I find the above words to be disgusting and anyone who utters them to be ignorant and foolish. And yet, if we know that you shouldn’t associate and blame the actions of a few on a whole group, why does this statement, this mindset continue to be okay?

All Muslims are terrorists.

Do you see the hypocrisy here? If it isn’t okay to blame the entire Tea Party for the few members who’ve attacked members of Congress or yelled racial slurs at them, then it isn’t okay to blame the entire Islam religion for 9/11. That was a violent extremist group, no different from the members of the Tea Party who severed the gas line at Bo Perriello’s house. And if you, non-violent Tea Party member, do not wish to be associated with the psychopath who did that, you don’t get to call all Muslims terrorists or blame the entire religion for 9/11. Because if you do that, I feel that is perfectly within my rights to blame you for the attempted murder of an innocent man and his family and call you a racist. You can’t have it both ways. YOU CAN’T!

I’m sick and tired of this mentality that if a white man does something wrong, it’s an isolated incident of one psychopathic screwball and we shouldn’t blame all white men for what that one dude did. But if someone not-white does something wrong, it’s on that entire race or religion or sex/gender/orientation. It’s never just an isolated incident when the offender is not-white. It’s an epidemic. A problem we need harsher laws or new programs to try and correct or prevent.

So, with that in mind, I have to ask. Because one of the arguments that I’ve heard thrown out during the debate over the “Ground Zero Mosque” (which is actually more of a community center and two blocks away from Ground Zero, but whatever), is that the land around Ground Zero is Holy Ground. If a white guy wanted to build a strip club within a two block radius of Ground Zero, do you honestly believe it would have created the giant conflict this Mosque/Community center has caused? This is hallowed ground, after all. An area that is owed the utmost respect and highest honor from each person in America. Do you think Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin or Professor Glenn Beck would have rushed to rally the masses against such an establishment going on such hallowed ground?

Please.

As morally gray many Christians, especially conservatives Christians, find strip clubs, I haven’t heard mention from those who oppose the Park 51 project the ones that already exist within that two block radius. I’m sorry, but can you really refer to that two block radius as hallowed ground if no effort has really been made in the past decade to turn it into a more respectful, reverent community? But let’s just admit that it’s not really about the hallowed ground. Let’s just admit that the conflict over Park 51 has nothing to do with honoring Ground Zero and everything to do with what the white man thinks is okay. And strip clubs are in and a Mosque/Community Center is not. And this is not okay.


-- Storyteller Knight

My Final Comments on Park51

So much for civility. I suspect this is going to be an angry rant. You have been duly warned.

I woke up only to be seriously irritated by the comments on a video I had left open:



The comments I was reading are buried in there, close to the very beginning, but the bullshit continues. I am sooo sick and tired of this. I don't know what's gotten into the drinking water over the last few years, but it's like the angriest and most ignorant always feel the need to throw tantrums and spread fear and hatred, all the time, over things that for the rest of us should be non-issues. It's embarrassing. When someone is attacked when walking down the street on their way home from work and is accused of being violent and hateful, how is that not an injustice? Where do these bastards get off telling other people that their religions are hateful and violent, when these so-called "Christians" are the most hateful people I've ever had the misfortune to meet?

There is a point where understandable concern meets blind hatred. We've crossed that point a long time ago... Real Americans, Please Stand Up (NYTimes.com)



Before we are Americans; before we are Christians or Muslims or Atheists; before we are immigrants or citizens or Democrats or Republicans, we have to remember: we are human beings.
These lines that divide us are our own creation. We can break them down just as we built them up. At the end of the day, they mean nothing. Either we work together to make us stronger as a global society, or we work to break us down.

Whether or not you like Keith Olbermann, his comments on Park 51 the other night were spot on.



This is NOT a big deal, and I absolutely do not think that the developers of this community center should back down, give up their rights and "build somewhere else." I know this is modern-day America, where small groups of extremists think they speak for everybody [cough*teapartyfringe*cough] but the fact is, they don't. And for anyone even considering attacking someone or vandalizing the community center, or interfering with the personal lives of developers or construction workers or Muslims (or perceived Muslims, as the case was in the first video) in any way because of this community center-- I can't even say how I feel about you other than the fact that I'm truly disgusted. Because saying any more than that wouldn't be "polite."

Rights are being violated and ignored by the same people who claim to be strict constructionists (thank you, Shep). Those who complain that their constitutional rights are being restricted by people who are offended by something are walking all over the rights of these people because Those who argue to blindly follow laws refuse to follow the ones they don't like. It's an election year, and our sociopolitical world is engulfed in a hubbub of prefabricated discontent to shroud the legitimate concerns on legitimate issues. This is all just a distraction from the real issues- unemployment, poverty, homelessness, healthcare (still a long way to go on that...), food safety, education, clean energy... I could go on & on. (It's been argued that reducing unemployment would reduce the levels of pent up crazy and give more people something productive to do instead of screaming on the street corners. We should try it.) And that being said, I'm done trying to argue this. I'm going to treat it like the non-issue it is. (Though I'd say now it's the violent opponents who are the issue...) FTS. Peace out. I'll be with this guy -->