Yeah, I said that

Americans Simply Don't Do Sacrifice Anymore

2010-06-17T13:32:00.001-05:00

When, oh when, are we going to realize that the best thing we can do for the environment is to cut back on reproducing! There are 7 billion people on this planet and that number is just going up. We have an infinite capacity for reproducing, but there are a finite amount of resources on this planet. I haven't seen anyone in the media mention population control as a way to help the environment, but it is an obvious way to help.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Who's Afraid of Rand Paul?

2010-05-19T13:33:00.001-05:00

Better to have a Libertarian Republican than an evangelical Republican or a PC bleeding heart Democrat. It's time we elected people who believe in giving power back to us, the people, instead of trying to run our lives. And both sides are guilty of that, Republicans with religion and Democrats with political correctness. I'm done with both parties because it's time that common sense became the rule, not ideology.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Why Democrats suck…

2010-03-04T11:41:00.002-05:00

To call the Democrats in Congress a bunch of spineless pussies, would be an insult to pussies. They have had the majority since Barack was elected, yet they haven't gotten anything worth a shit done. They and Barack need to take a page from Bush's handbook and just ram shit through like he did. To Hel with bipartisanship. The Republicans don't give a shit about pissing off Democrats, so it is time to give it right back. If they don't, they will get voted out this year and then nothing will get done. I can't stand the political correctness of the bleeding hearts, but between the two parties, I truly think the Democrats care more about the regular guy than the Republicans. I do have some issues with them though.

First of all is the aforementioned political correctness. Getting on Rahm Emmanuel's shit about using the word "retarded"?!? Really?!? Get the fuck over it. It's called the First Amendment and it doesn't say you don't have the right to be offended. Go on, read it, I promise you it doesn't say that.

Secondly, get over gun control. Gun control means using both hands and hitting your target. Until you can promise me that criminals will NEVER be able to get a gun, I'll keep mine, thank you. As long as there are people who want to harm me, or steal my stuff, I'll reserve the right to put a bullet in them. Dead criminals never harmed anyone.

Thirdly, if you can't get health care reform passed, you don't deserve to be in power. While you are bickering over stupid shit like abortion (get over it), productive, fully formed human beings are dying from lack of coverage. Get this done and get it done now. By the way, if you really want to solve this issue, make insurance and pharmaceutical companies have to be non-profit. The cost issue would vanish real fast then.

For shit's sake, grow a pair!!!

Skaal

Why Republicans suck…

2010-03-04T11:15:00.002-05:00

For the last year, I've been hearing conservatives blather on about President Obama being "socialist" and wanting to redistribute wealth, etc., ad nauseam. Here's a little newsflash for the brain deads that make up most of the Republican supporters. Republicans are fascists. They might as well replace the stars on our flag with swastikas. How can I say that, you ask? Easily. The definition of socialism is government controlling business, which is what they accuse Democrats of trying to do. Well, the definition of fascism is business running the government, which is what the Republicans are trying to achieve. Look at their total opposition to health care reform. Heaven forbid that their buddies that run the insurance and pharmaceutical companies and make obscene profits off of the suffering of people have to scale it back. Despite the blatant pandering to the megacorporations that have pretty much destroyed the American economy and are lowering our standard of living, the average blue collar person supports them even as they allow companies to send blue collar jobs overseas. They see Democrats as "elitists", which is a euphemism for educated, intelligent and thinking.

As an example of the rampant idiocy that makes up the GOP, look at the stupid images they use. Seriously, who is the fucktard who came up with the "Joker" Obama picture with "Socialism" as the caption? Does this moron know anything at all about Batman? Obviously not. The Joker is an anarchist, which is about as far from socialist as you can get. Try watching "The Dark Knight" at least once. The Republicans are so desperate to regain power that they will use any stupid tactic they can think of to get it back. Truth and facts won't get in their way! They are like small children who have their toys taken away and throw temper tantrums. Only the Republicans call them "Tea Parties". The Republicans are NOT looking out for the common man, unless you consider millionaires "common". They only support those who have the money to keep them in power, but the average idiot who supports them doesn't have the brain cells to see that.

Skaal

Health care reform...

2009-10-14T11:07:00.001-05:00

I'm going to preface this essay by saying that I am a card-carrying fan of Ayn Rand and an Objectivist. Now that I've said that, I will say that I am firmly on the side of health care reform. I believe it should also go much farther than the joke of a bill the Senate committee approved. We should have a single payer system like Europe and the rest of the civilized world. How can I say this, you ask? It's quite simple. No decent, moral human being should ever profit from the suffering of others. We have billionaires in this country who have done exactly that. Drug companies get rich by treating disease symptoms instead of curing the underlying illness. They create drugs to treat lifestyle issues, e.g. "erectile dysfunction", instead of working to cure real diseases like diabetes. NOTE: It is called impotence, not "erectile dysfunction". Due to the profit motive, there is no incentive to actually cure anything when just treating symptoms makes so much more money. Come on, how many Labor Day telethons has Jerry Lewis done and we still don't have a cure for Muscular Dystrophy? I'm not buying it. The profit motive needs to be completely removed from our health care system and it needs to be run by people who actually give a damn about helping other people. Sorry Ayn, but this is one area where altruism should reign. If you want to make money, build cars or computers, not hospitals.

While the system needs a complete overhaul, it isn't the only problem. A great deal of the problem lies with the American people themselves. We are truly among the laziest creatures to ever inhabit this planet. Instead of making the effort to do things to stay healthy, most people take the lazy way out. Instead of preparing healthy meals, we eat from boxes that have more chemicals than food in them. Instead of eating less and taking a walk, we want low-calorie, no-fat cookies so we can eat them by the box and not gain weight. It doesn't work and we end up ingesting even more chemicals. Then we want surgery to lose weight instead of making any real effort. That might require work and we can't have that, we're Americans! It's time to put down the chips and the fork and take some responsibility for your life. That goes for smokers and people who drink too much as well. Don't expect the health care system to clean up after the mess you have made out of your health. There is no money in that. There is money in treating obesity, lung cancer, cirrhosis and the numerous cancers caused by the chemicals in our food and water. The main reason that health care costs are rising is self-inflicted. Poor food choices, drinking and smoking are driving costs up. Stomach stapling costs way more than fixing a sprained ankle from walking. Think about that the next time you are wolfing down some Twinkies.

Skaal

Goodbye George Carlin...

2008-06-24T15:39:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday, June 22, 2008 was one of the darkest days I can remember. That was the day that George Carlin died. He was one of the greatest and smartest comedians who ever told a joke. I still remember listening to "Class Clown" on an 8-track player when I was 12 years old. In this day and age, his intelligence and wit will be greatly missed. Between he and Tim Russert, America lost two great minds in a week. This country simply can't handle losing many more people of intelligence. Carlin was the master of making the mundane funny and making the average idiot American squirm by throwing all their bullshit right in their face. He truly didn't care what people thought of him, and I will have the utmost respect for him just for that alone. He will be sorely missed, especially with the way this country is going now.

Carlin always thought the human race was fucked and doomed, and with his death, we are a little bit closer to being just that.

You reap what you sow...

2008-03-17T09:51:00.002-05:00

As I sit here watching CNN discuss the buyout of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan, I can't help but wonder when the idiots running financial companies will ever learn. Going back to the S&L debacle of the 80s, time after time has shown that questionable financial practices will always blow up in your face. Really, is it any surprise to anyone that we are in the financial situation going on now when you look at what was done over the past few years? You give someone who makes $40,000 a year a mortgage for a $500,000 home and you wonder why the foreclosure rate is sky high? This isn't rocket science, people. All the "creative" financing, accounting and other unethical things going on have given us the economy that we deserve. Am I the only person in this country who sees that we have an economy based on nothing? How many corporations in this company actually make money producing something you can hold in your hand? Not many. Credit card companies are making money hand over fist by doing nothing! I recently heard that some credit cards are now charging a fee for paying off your balance!!! What the fuck is up with that?!? It is NOT a good business practice to make money by fucking over your customers by nickel and diming them to death. If I had a credit card that pulled that with me, I'd close that account as soon as it was paid off. I'd make sure to pay it off first though, because now they have a monthly "maintenance fee" for closed accounts that have a balance. We get charged overdraft fees when you bounce a check, even though that means you don't have any money and those charges are pushing $40 now! This is ridiculous due to the fact that technology has made financial instutions almost fully automated, so it's not like it actually costs them money if you bounce a check. All these bullshit fees are for one purpose, and one purpose only, to make the executives at these companies richer. That's all. We've sent most of our manufacturing overseas, and we are left with an economy that is based on money being passed back and forth with nothing of value exchanged. Since this kind of economic exchange is fundamentally limited, corporations have to come up with other ways of getting our money without giving us anything in return. Our economy, for years, has been based on consumer spending, driven by credit. Now people are maxed out and the credit is drying up. Guess what that means? Yup, economic collapse. And since the rest of the world's economy is based on Americans buying their stuff, everyone is screwed. We asked for it, we got it, and now it's time to pay for it. Except there is nothing to pay with. Welcome to the new reality.

Remember Myanmar...

2007-10-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

The next time you're bitching about waiting in line at Wal-Mart, remember what is going on in Myanmar. I'm watching video on CNN showing government troops and agents beating people for the crime of wanting freedom. We have it here, for the moment, and take it completely for granted. When I think of how Americans behave now and then see video like that, it infuriates me. We take everything for granted, we don't bat an eye when Bush destroys habeus corpus and the 4th amendment and starts an illegal and unjustified war. As long as we can get our hands on more shit, we don't care what happens in the world. Wake up morons!!! There's more to life than your fucking iPhone and XBox. There are still places where people have to live in fear from their government and we'll be next if your apathy continues. There isn't much our government could do to help Myanmar since our military is bogged down in Iraq. Not that I think they would do much anyway, since there isn't oil there. However, we could send weapons to the pro-Democracy people and let them fight for their freedom, but I doubt our government has the stones to even do that. Bush likes to talk about spreading freedom and Democracy, but it's just paying lip service. Here's a chance to really help people who really want freedom, but I'm not holding my breath for Bush to step up. By the way, I've already sent him an e-mail about this, what have you done?

Skaal,
Loki

Enough of the "Jena 6"

2007-09-20T09:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm going to say it because none of the politically correct crowd will say it. If the "Jena 6" were white, and the victim was black, not only would there not be a rally, they would be charged with hate crimes as well as the other charges. This is utter bullshit, and I'm calling it. I want to know why they have not been charged with hate crimes! Have we truly gotten to the point where it is okay for blacks to attack whites? If so, I'll be carrying my gun a lot more than I do. There is absolutely no excuse for this behavior, let alone the reaction to it. The whole attitude of minorities in this country is bullshit. It's become, "You have to give me stuff and respect me because I'm (insert minority group here)." It doesn't work that way. You want respect, you earn it. You want money, you earn it. If you don't like that, get the fuck out of my country. And don't even try that slavery shit with me. If blacks were truly concerned about it, they would be going to Africa to put a stop to the slavery that is still going on! How convenient to just ignore that. Slavery has been practiced by or on every society on this planet at one point or another, so crying about it doesn't fly. Where are my reparations for my ancestors being indentured servants??? If minorities truly want equal rights, then charge the Jena 6 with hate crimes. That would be true justice. However, it has become blatantly obvious that most miniorites don't want equal rights, they want preferential treatment and handouts. We taxpaying, working Americans are fed up with that and it's time we truly give them what they want. If minorities want equal rights, then they shall have them. No more handouts, no more affirmative action, no more preferential treatment. They will have to work for what they want like the rest of us.

Skaal,
Loki

Why Republicans are stupid about Iraq...

2007-06-06T09:38:00.000-05:00

Oh brother, the fucking idiot Republicans are at it again. Despite mountain ranges of evidence to the contrary, they keep spouting the same stupidity about the war in Iraq. They keep saying Hussein was tied to Al Qaeda, even though they hated each other. They keep saying that Hussien supported terrorism, when he didn't. It's Iran that does that, but Bush never has been good with language. However, the number one piece of bullshit they keep spouting, the phrase that has me almost kicking my TV is "If we don't fight them over there, they'll follow us home." I swear, if someone says that to my face, I'll break their jaw for being that stupid. Follow us home??? They're already here!!! The Fort Dix plot and the plot against Kennedy airport were all sprouted by people ALREADY HERE!!! Hey morons! We're not buying that bullshit anymore. Your fear tactics may work on the average idiot Wal-Mart shopper, but it isn't working on those of us who actually think. Sorry, but I've read "1984" several times and you're using the same tactics that the government in that book did. I'm not falling for it. Oh yeah, I'm also on to your trick of leaking some "terror plot" to the press right before any Democratic Party event that might get news coverage or to cover up Republicans that get busted, like "Scooter" Libby. And you have the nerve to call yourselves the party of integrity and honor?!? That's a joke!!! You are the party of fearmongering and facism. Don't believe me? How about the Patriot Act and Bush trying to get rid of habaeus corpus? Sorry, but I like the 4th Amendment and I'd prefer to have it around. In fact, I'd rather have my freedom and risk another terror attack. The way I see it, you Republicans have done far more harm to America than 9/11 ever did. Buildings can be rebuilt, but how do you regain lost freedom? I know how, and that's why I'm voting Libertarian. By the way, I used to be a registered Republican, but I refuse to support a party of fear and totalitarianism. You sicken me and it's a good thing Reagan is already dead because your behavior surely would've killed him.

Skaal,
Loki

Virginia Tech shootings...

2007-04-19T07:51:00.000-05:00

Ok, now that we've been utterly saturated by the press coverage of this, I'm going to say a few things that will be very unpopular. I don't care, they need to be said. First of all, this is not a tragedy. This is the expected result of what happens when spoiled brats mistreat someone who doesn't fit into their cliques. Just because the victims are dead, why are we assuming they were saints? I would bet good money that more than a few of them probably got exactly what they deserved. Cho Seung-Hui was obviously deranged, yet who hasn't had the urge to do exactly what he did when you see these spoiled brats whining in the mall and acting like the world owes them a living. Cho was completely dead on about what he said about their hedonism and debauchery. He knows American culture better than most Americans do. And he damn sure knows how college students are. Maybe he wasn't as crazy as everyone thinks.

However, the issue that truly infuriates me is this. Everyone is crying about all these young lives snuffed out for nothing, yet they are forgetting something. REMEMBER FUCKING IRAQ!!! That is a tragedy. Far more young lives have been killed needlessly there than in all the school shootings combined. When Bush went to the campus to speak, I wish someone would have shouted that. The kids who have been killed in Iraq deserve far more press coverage than Virginia Tech, yet they will never get it. Every news channel has been giving this saturation coverage while the rest of the world gets ignored. 32 people dead? Over 4 times that many were killed in Iraq yesterday and that happens almost daily! That story got about 2 minutes of time on CNN. Oh, I guess because they were brown people they don't count. I could go on about narcissism in America, but I already posted about that. The real tragedy here is that the news treats this like there are no other stories going on in the world. And I don't want to hear about how scared these pampered kids were either. There are tens of thousands American soldiers that are college age in Iraq right now. They are exposed to this kind of terror on a daily basis for 15 months at a time. The students in Virginia Tech got a taste of that. I hope they remember the soldiers who are their age the next time they have a vigil because what they are going through is infinitely more terrifying.

Skaal,
Loki

Don Imus and the 1st Amendment...

2007-04-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

Since it is apparent that the news channels won't leave this dead horse alone, I'm going to jump in on this. I don't like Don Imus, I never have. I think he's a pretentious asshole. That being said, I'm sick of him being vilified for his comments about the Rutgers basketball team. This is yet another example of fucking political correctness destroying this country. In case you've forgotten, and many people have this is what the 1st Amendment says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Now, would someone please show me where it says that you have the right to not be offended? That's right, it doesn't. We have the right to say anything we want, no matter how offensive someone thinks it is. Personally, I love offensive speech, and the more uncomfortable it makes someone, the better. When people are uncomfortable, it is usually because you're forcing them to think about something they would rather forget about. Hel, they're probably uncomfortable because you're making them think at all. Americans today really hate having to think because that requires work. If I offend someone, tough fucking shit. As Denis Leary said, "Life sucks, get a fucking helmet!" Americans have had it too easy for too long. We've become a nation of fucking wimps and it makes me want to vomit. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO NOT BE OFFENDED!!! If you don't like that, I suggest you never leave your house and while you're at it, get rid of your TV, radio and Internet connection. More things offend me than I can count, but I don't cry like a little girl about it, I do something. I post here or I tell someone to their face that they're full of shit. I will not go crying to the media, or worse yet, to a lawyer about it.

Here's the other thing that really pisses me off about the Don Imus issue. As long as black comedians and other blacks keep calling whites crackers or honkies, they do not have the right to bitch when whites say nigger or other terms. This is not a one way street. And here is another thing that the PC crowd totally ignores as well. Just because you say "cracker" or "nigger" does not mean you are racist! Chris Rock did an outstanding skit in "Bring The Pain" on the difference between blacks and niggers and what he said applies to whites as well. Why insult decent hardworking blacks by calling niggers black? If you are a crack-dealing criminal piece of shit with black skin, you're a nigger. If you are a meth-dealing criminal piece of shit with white skin, you're white trash. I despise both groups equally. I think a definition of what a racist actually is needs to be said. Here it is. A racist is someone who thinks people of a different race are inferior to them, simple as that. Using a word doesn't make you racist. Acting on that word does. And not saying something because you are afraid of offending someone makes you a coward. So, are you feeling uncomfortable yet?

Skaal,
Loki

Offshoring and other stupid corporate tricks...

2007-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

In the past decade, offshoring and outsourcing have become two big ways for corporate executives to fatten their wallets. Being a Libertarian, I'm all for personal profit, but these are two very stupid ways of making money. Making money is fine, but not on the backs of other people. As a computer programmer, I have been personally affected by these practices. I spent 9 months unemployed and/or working dumbass temp jobs during the late 90s, early 2000s due to the programming jobs being sent to India or other places where they pay people $4 an hour. Let me tell you why doing this is a really bad idea.

First of all, you get what you pay for. Sure, corporations have gotten fat pockets from paying minimum wage for high-tech work, but what kind of work have they gotten? I'll tell you, it's shit. Just because you read "Programming for Dummies" doesn't make you a programmer. I taught myself BASIC on my Commodore 64 when I was 12 and I've built on that. I've been programming for almost 26 years, so I know what I'm doing. Some guy who took a 2 year crash course is NOT a programmer. They're a newbie. And that's the kind of work you get.

Secondly, being a programmer, I know how easy it is to put "backdoors" in programs that would allow an unscrupulous programmer access to a system at any time. Is it really a good idea to have foreign programmers writing our financial or other sensitive systems? I don't think so. Today's allies are tomorrow's enemies. I hate to think of how vulnerable we'd be if India became our enemy. In this age of security, that isn't very secure. I think that is a major reason that I'm seeing programming jobs coming back here.

The economic reasons that offshoring/outsourcing are stupid are even more obvious. Corporations do save a lot of money by using cheap labor, there's no doubt about that. However, they are so shortsighted it's almost scary. Have they ever stopped to think about the people they are putting out of work? Of course not. Here's what happens. Corporation XYZ lays off it's IT department and offshores the work. That's a bunch of high paying jobs that are gone. Now you have a bunch of people who are out of work and can't pay their credit cards, car payments, house payments, etc. That causes increases in bankruptcies, foreclosures, etc. The true punchline is this. These corporations pocket the profits and don't lower their prices. That is the truly stupid part because who do they think is going to buy their products? The low wage employees overseas aren't paid enough to buy them and the people who are out of work sure don't have the money. So the money they save now won't last when their sales plummet. Of course, the executives don't give a shit, they have their $400 million golden parachutes. As long as they get theirs, they don't give a damn about American workers or America itself. Wealth is good, but is it worth selling out people or your country? I don't think so.

Skaal,
Loki

Parenting in America today...

2007-01-22T09:12:00.000-05:00

This is one topic that really has me pissed off. What's my impetus for writing about this? It's a TV commercial I saw a couple of weeks ago for Carmax. The commercial shows a couple of parents giving their teenage daughter a red Mini Cooper for her 16th birthday. The girl starts throwing a tantrum and screaming, "I wanted the blue one!!!" The commercial is advertising Carmax's return policy. Oh, where do I begin? I don't believe this commercial is a fantasy at all. I honestly believe that this kind of bullshit happens on a daily basis in this country. If that would've been my brat, not only would she NOT have gotten the blue car, she wouldn't have gotten ANY car. She can go out and get a job and pay for her car like I did.

Since I know that anyone who reads this will ask, I will say it now. I don't have kids. I've never wanted them, and I'm never having them. Of course, now people will say, "Oh, you don't know!" Yes, I do. In my early 20s, I spent 5 years working/managing a video store and dealing with kids and their parents. I also was a kid myself and I remember growing up. I also know that adults generally keep the same attitudes they had as kids. Plus I have common sense and I watch people when I'm at the store, restaurant, etc. I know what I'm talking about.

Now that I've dispensed with the resume, these are my observations. People don't give a shit about their kids anymore. I honestly believe they have them just to shut up their parents who bug them about grandchildren or as a status symbol. American society loves to go on about passing laws "for the children" yet they don't care about children. When kids turn out successful, the parents want all the credit. When they shoot up their high school, it's music or movies or video games. Nope, sorry, not buying it. It's the parents, stupid, it always has been. If people put the effort into raising their children that they did into acquiring more shit to fill their garage with, society would be much better off. The fact is, people don't. They expect day care or public schools to raise their kids for them. Then they wonder what went wrong when their little princess ends up pregnant at 14 or junior takes out a dozen classmates with a machete. Here's a little advice from the guy without kids. Try getting involved with your kids lives!!! And that doesn't mean signing them up for every after school activity you can just to keep them out of your hair. It means taking a daily interest in every aspect of their lives. You are the parent, not their friend. If that means butting into their private lives, so be it. Until they turn 18, you are responsible for them. If that sounds harsh, too bad. You should've thought about that before you had them.

The government isn't helping the situation at all. A lot of states have passed laws making the parents responsible for their minor children's crimes. I don't have a problem with that. My problem is that you can get thrown in jail just for spanking your kids! That's a nice conundrum. You can't discipline your kids, but you have to be responsible for their crimes that they commit from not being disciplined! And you wonder why I don't want kids! I was spanked when I was a kid when I screwed up. It taught me not to screw up. Time outs never worked for me, it just gave me time to figure out how not to get caught next time. Spanking is NOT abuse! Having a bad day at work then beating the shit out of your kids is abuse. Smacking their ass when they try to drink bleach is not. Gee, that wasn't hard to figure out, was it. And for the record, I've never even had a speeding ticket, so the argument that spanking causes bad behavior doesn't fly with me.

Here's another suggestion that should be so obvious that I shouldn't have to write, but I see it so often that I'm compelled to. STOP SPOILING YOUR LITTLE BRATS!!! If I had a nickel for every time I saw a parent get something because their kid cried for it, I wouldn't be blogging this, I could publish the book version myself. If I acted like that as a kid, and I did, I got spanked. Needless to say, that behavior didn't last long. And when I was a kid in the 70s, people applauded, they didn't call the police. Again, you are the parent and it is your right and your duty to say NO! Anything that isn't earned, isn't appreciated. You are doing your kids no favors by giving them every little thing. They will be in for a serious reality check when they get to the workplace if they don't lose that sense of entitlement. And don't worry about paying for college, you don't have to! There are these things called student loans that almost anyone can get. Let kids pay for their own college, they may actually learn something other than drinking games that way. In fact, my personal suggestion is that they have to earn everything other than food and basic clothing by doing chores. If you teach kids the value of work at an early age, they won't expect something for nothing as adults. As it is, I don't worry about losing a job to someone younger because I work harder in a day than most 20 somethings do in a week. Start being real parents people, otherwise this country is in for a world of hurt.

Skaal,
Loki

Politics, Politics, Politics...

2007-01-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

We are barely into 2007 and already the presidential campaigns are going into overdrive. All these candidates are throwing their hats into the ring, when the outcome has pretty much been decided. On the Facist, er I mean Republican side, it will come down to Guiliani or McCain. I don't care for either, but Guiliani would be my pick if I had to choose. I used to respect McCain, but his support of Bush in the Iraq war has led me to despise him. Sorry he feels like we lost Vietnam and have to make up for it in Iraq, but it's not worth the lives being lost. Guiliani is only marginally better. On the Democrat side, it will come down to Edwards, Clinton or Obama. Hillary is an incredibly intelligent woman, but she is a bleeding heart despite her trying to appear centrist. The Republicans have enough tape and quotes of her supporting bleeding heart issues that they can blow away her facade of moderation. I also have a problem with people changing their stripes just to suit what they think the public wants. I really like Obama, but I think he should get some more experience under his belt before running for President. Granted, there is definitely something to be said about NOT having a lot of political experience because that also means you haven't had time to get sucked into the bullshit that runs DC. That pretty much leaves Edwards. Now that he has dropped that lump of coal, Kerry, he can shine on his own. In 2004, I thought that Edwards should have been leading the ticket. He appears to be more moderate than Clinton, he has more experience than Obama and he wants our guys out of Iraq. That is the deciding factor in the upcoming election. I think McCain is doomed because of his stance on the war. People like him just don't get it. We, the people, have spoken and we're sick of this useless and illegal war.

The news pundits have talked about having a woman or black President and if America is ready for that. Personally, I find that incredibly insulting. I'm ready for a GOOD President and I don't give a damn what color that person is or if they sit down to piss. I just want someone who is INTELLIGENT and HONEST as President. I know that's a tall order, but if we can put people on the Moon, we can do it. America is the last modern country to not have a female leader, except maybe France. England, Germany, Israel and Italy have all had female leaders and damn good ones. I vote for the person who most matches my own beliefs, not my physicality. But I also think, something that most people seem to believe that's what the government is for.

What I would really like to see though, is for the Libertarian Party to really go at it. I'm rather disappointed that they didn't field more candidates in the midterm elections. That was another golden opportunity. People are sick of the status quo, well at least that's what they are saying, so now is the time for Libertarians to step up to the plate. I haven't heard yet, who they are fielding for the 2008 election, but I'll probably vote for them. And I don't care what they look like.

Skaal,
Loki

The State of Women in America Today...

2006-12-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

After putting up with hearing women bitch about how men are "dogs", "players", etc. for most of my adult life, I've had enough. It's time to set the record straight about how women today are no better themselves. While most of this post is based on my own subjective experiences, I've also gleaned a great deal of information from friends and other guys I've talked to. What I've learned boils down to this: women are absolutely no better than men today and in some ways they are worse. Of course, this doesn't apply to all women, just the majority. I say this because I am incredibly happy with my wife and I wouldn't change anything about her. If all women (and men) had her sense of values and honesty, I wouldn't be writing this, but they obviously don't. Okay, here's what I've learned:

First, women have no right to gripe about men cheating on them when surveys and studies have shown that the rate of infidelity is pretty much equal now. That's right, women cheat just as much. This I know from personal experience having been cheated on more than once in my life. There is more than one kind of infidelity as well. We all know about the sneaking around kind, but open marriages/relationships are another version of infidelity. Just because each party agrees to cheat doesn't make it okay. Hey, if I say I'm going to shoot you before I do it, does that make it not murder? I thought so. If you want to go around fucking every person who comes along, fine, that's your right as an adult. But don't tell me it's okay, because I've been in such a relationship and it isn't. A woman I dated wanted to have such a relationship and I foolishly agreed. Hey, it looks good on paper. You get a stable relationship, but get to sleep with other people. Sounds great, right? Wrong. What you don't see on paper is how cheap you feel by turning sex into a triviality. Sex should be something that two people who love each other share, not something you share with anyone who comes along. It also created a very unstable relationship as well. I was constantly afraid she'd be looking to find someone better and I was concerned about catching something as well. Fortunately, I got out of that train wreck before I did catch something. At least I learned that is definitely not for me. That was the only good thing to come out of that. Another trend I noticed while dating is the "friends with benefits" routine. This is what most of the women I dated wanted to have. That surprised me since it's we men who are always accused of being unable to commit to a relationship. That is entirely not true. I wanted a real relationship, they didn't. Maybe it's just me, but casual sex just isn't that good. The sex my wife and I share is incredibly good every time because we truly love and care about each other. That makes all the difference. In summary, don't bitch about men ladies, because you're just as guilty on this one.

Second, and this is the BIG one. Honesty. From what I've seen there is no creature on this planet more deceptive than women. None. Personally, this started for me back when I was in 6th grade and a girl I had a crush on used me to make a guy she liked jealous. Yup, ouch! I should've seen what was coming after that, but I have the unfortunate flaw of actually thinking people are decent until proven otherwise. Without a doubt, the most deceptive woman I ever encountered was my ex-wife. Talk about classic! She was a nympho when we dated and as soon as that ring was on her finger, she was all about not putting out unless I bought her stuff. Hel, I should've just left money on the dresser. This isn't just me either. If I had a nickel for every guy I've heard something similar from, I'd be richer than Bill Gates. That was the worst case, I've experienced, but it sure wasn't the last. I also dated a woman who wanted me to get her pregnant so she could get child support out of me, another classic female deception. Are women just incapable of being honest or is just the 24-35 year old age group? That is the age group I had most of my experiences with so that is why I'm asking. The honesty issue also directly ties into the cheating as well. In my experience with people in general, if they lie about anything, they'll lie about everything.

Third is communication. This directly ties into honesty and it seems to be the issue that causes most relationships to fail. In order to work, a relationship MUST have honest and direct communication. For example, I've heard women complain about how lousy their husband or boyfriend is sexually, but I'd bet real money they've never said a thing to them about it. Isn't that nice?!? They'll tell all their friends, but not them. That's just shitty behavior, plain and simple. Here's a newsflash. If the guy you're with isn't doing what you like, TELL HIM WHAT YOU LIKE!!! Guys are better about this, but not by much. It's not just sex either. People need to be honest in their communications about everything. I've been called tactless more times than I can count because I'm blunt and to the point. If something pisses me off, I say so in no uncertain terms. The bullshit level must be reduced to nil if relationships are going to work. If being honest makes me tactless, so be it. Tact is a fancy way of saying "bullshitting", so I don't use it. If you want something, ask for it. Don't be coy, don't skirt the issue, just ask directly. You'll be amazed at the results. Women are terrible about doing this, unless they want to put a guy on the spot. You know the drill, "Does this make me look fat?" Don't ask a question like that unless you want an honest answer. Guys, give them an honest answer. This kind of deceptive communication needs to go the way of the dinosaurs. That book, The Rules, should be banned from the universe since it pretty much says being tricky is a good thing. Women, if you use that book as a roadmap, don't be surprised when you end up alone. Guys don't act coy with each other, don't expect them to "get it" when you try it on them. It just pisses us off. One last thing about communication. If you want to end a relationship, then do it. Don't just not answer e-mail, phone messages, etc. Have the guts to let a guy know you don't want to go out anymore.

Fourth, and this is the one that frosts my ass above all else. Women, STOP TRYING TO "TRAIN" GUYS!!! We hate that, we hate that above anything else you do except maybe for cheating. If you want to drive a guy away, get him to try and change into your "ideal". If the guy you're with isn't what you want, end the relationship and find one who does. We'll get over being dumped, but we'll hate you forever if you keep nagging us to change who we are. If a guy is doing something truly wrong like drinking too much or doing something else truly harmful, that's one thing. Of course, you should leave if he won't change that kind of behavior. However, if a guy likes sports or video games or has some other hobby that you aren't interested in, leave him alone!!! A hobby that takes up all his time is a problem, but if you want him to stop because you don't like the hobby, tough shit. If you want him to stop because you think he should spend ALL his time fawning over you, then you're a complete bitch. Despite what you think, guys have every right to like what they like. Just because you think sports or video games are juvenile or trivial doesn't give you the right to stop a guy from enjoying them. If a guy likes action movies, he will never stop liking them just to please you. If a guy likes wearing jeans and t-shirts, he will not become a polo shirt and khakis guy. If you get a guy to change his habits to please you, don't be surprised when he leaves or starts resenting you. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if a guy told you what makeup or clothes to wear, so don't do that to us. Guys come in all styles, find one that suits yours. Just stop trying to change us, it doesn't work. Control freaks aren't appealing to anyone.

Long story short, if you want a relationship to work then be honest and open and accept each other, warts and all. It's that simple, I'm just puzzled as to why people are incapable of doing it. And women, cut the bullshit because we men are sick of your shit. If you want respect, be worthy of respect. Fortunately, this isn't my problem anymore since I've found the perfect woman and I will be with her until the day I die.

Skaal,
Loki

Happy, happy, joy, joy...

2006-11-08T08:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, Bush, it's time for you to pay the piper. You've spent the last 6 years acting like Nero, with your Republican cronies looking the other way, and now it's over. The Democrats have taken the house, and it looks like they will get the Senate as well. Your laissez-faire days are over, Bush! No more doing what you want with no one to stop you. You are going to have to be accountable for the next two years and I know that is worrying the Hel out of you. In fact, the investigations that Nancy Pelosi has promised into what you have already done are probably giving you an ulcer as I type this. I hope it hurts a lot you murdering, egomaniacal bastard! This country is not your plaything to use to live out your god fantasies and the American people have told you to kiss their collective ass. You threw the fear card one too many times and people just aren't buying your bullshit anymore. Crying wolf isn't working. Actually, I'm surprised you didn't manufacture an "unspecified terror threat" on Monday. Not that anyone would have listened, because they aren't anymore. Nobody believes you Bush, you've lied one too many times. And while Americans can show monumental stupidity, this time they woke up. Watching you squirm the next two years is going to make life immensely enjoyable.

Skaal,
Loki

Narcissism in America...

2006-11-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

After 37 years of life in America and visiting several other countries (Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland), I've discovered what I believe to be the biggest problem in this country. As the title says, it's narcissism. If you don't believe me, just observe people around you as you go about your day. How many times do you get cut off in traffic by some idiot on their cell phone? How many times do you do that? How about people bitching about the price of gas or tomatoes while 19 year olds die in Iraq for Halliburton's profits? Even the magazine titles today say it all with titles like "For Me", "All About You", etc. Yes indeed, there is an "I" in America and it has be capitalized, italicized, emboldened and underlined. People are only out for themselves in this country and they don't care who they stomp on to get their own way. Oh yeah, after 9/11 and other tragedies, we pretend to pull together, but it never lasts. Even after 9/11, the goodwill only lasted a couple of months then it was back to "Gimme, gimme, gimme". Not only does this attitude sicken me beyond belief, it's the reason behind it that makes me hope an asteroid hits this country. It's all about grabbing as much material crap as you can with both hands. This country has degenerated because the people want more stuff. Stuff that they don't need and usually forget about soon after they get it because their eyes are now on the next batch of useless dreck. Don't talk to me about how much money Americans donate to charity either, because it damn sure isn't out of altruism. People donate so they can tell their friends about how charitable THEY are. "Look at me, I'M great!!!" Yet again, it goes back to the narcissism. Here's a little newsflash America, something that everyone else in the world seems to understand. Everyone of us is an insignificant little worm! You aren't special and the world owes you nothing except what you WORK for. Life isn't easy and when things don't go your way, you don't have special dispensation to get out of the mess you're in. A mess that is 99 times out of 100, self-inflicted. The universe DOES NOT revolve around you and the other people stuck on this rock are NOT here to make your life easier. Get over yourself, I already have.

Skaal,
Loki

Virginia Senate election...

2006-11-01T10:03:00.000-05:00

I believe that I can safely say that this election year will go down as the dirtiest in my lifetime. Here in Virginia, George Allen and Jim Webb have been going after each other like a couple of rabid pit bulls. I'm voting for Webb simply because he wants to get our troops out of Iraq and that is the overriding issue for me. My stepson has been deployed there and it was ugly. Webb and Allen have both been using very negative ads, but I believe that Allen has been dirtier. In the latest round, Allen has attacked parts of the FICTION novels that Webb has written. This is utterly ridiculous. Allen is attacking the First Amendment in my opinion and that is completely unacceptable. Allen is doing this because he is trying to divert attention from his support of President Moron and his Unholy Crusade in Iraq. Another ad that Allen runs slams Webb for supporting the Death Tax. Allen makes it seem like the government takes 55% of your estate when you die. He conveniently neglects to tell you that this only applies for the top 2% of the wealthy in this country and that there are so many loopholes that they never pay that much. The average person will never reach the threshold where that kicks in. Sorry Allen, but those of us who think are on to you. No matter how hard you try, we still see the blood of those killed in Iraq on your hands. You're outta here!

Skaal,
Loki

Want this
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2006-09-25T07:28:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else think it's a bit suspicious that the price of gas has nose-dived right before the elections? Where I live, the price has gone from $2.75/gallon to $2.05/gallon in less than a month. I've seen the price drop over $.10/gallon in a day! This seems very bizarre to me, but with the elections coming up, it isn't surprising. It's no secret that the oil companies LOVE Republicans and want them to stay in power. Many Democrats want to impose a windfall profits tax on them and that terrifies them. Oh, poor oil company CEOs, you might have to get buy with just 3 mansions and four Ferraris. Oh, the horror! So the price drop isn't surprising. The proof will be after the elections. I fully expect to see gas prices shoot up after the elections, and if the Democrats win, they will rocket up. That's my prediction. The oil companies are hoping that the American public will be stupid enough to fall for their ploy and keep the Republicans in power. I hope the American public has woken up enough to not fall for it. I also hope people don't think this is permanent and start buying SUVs again. Our only hope is to get off of foreign oil once and for all.

Skaal,
Loki

2006-09-16T11:41:00.000-05:00

Time for another rant about Muslims. In case you haven't noticed already, I have a real problem with that religion. Any religion that preaches violence and degrades women like Islam isn't something I have much tolerance for. I don't have much use for Christians either, but that's another post. My current beef is due to the "outrage" over what the Pope said. Oh, talk about hypocrisy! The Pope simply quoted a line from a book, he didn't make it up himself and they are flying off the handle about it. Funny, I don't see them flying off the handle about civilians getting brutally beheaded or suicide bombers! To them, that is fine, but anyone who says anything that calls them on their behavior is evil. That is a textbook definition of hypocrisy if I ever saw one. Islam is a religion of peace about as much as Bush is a liberal! When I see Muslims demonstrating in the streets opposing suicide bombers and terrorism the way they gather about anyone saying something against them, I'll start changing my mind. I'm not holding my breath though, because I don't see that happening.

Skaal,
Loki

2006-09-13T11:45:00.000-05:00

Now that I've introduced myself, time to rant a bit. Since it seems to be the current topic of interest and should be, I'm going to give my perspective on the war in Iraq. This issue is a bit of a moral dilemma for me and this is why. I can't stand Bush at all, yet I despise Muslim fanatics just as much for the terrorists acts they have comitted. Personally, this is how I would handle the situation if I were running things. First of all, I'd pull all of our troops out of Iraq and send them to Afghanistan to crush the Taliban once and for all. No mercy either, it would be a war of extermination. That is the only language extremists understand, so let's speak their language. And no resting until Bin Laden's head is on a pike. There is no point in us being in Iraq since they are going to end up like Iran within 10 years anyway. I would also issue an ultimatum to the extremists. The ultimatum would be this: If you attack ANY American interests, or those of our allies, we will do EXACTLY the same thing to you. If you use any WMD on us, we will nuke an Islamic holy city in retaliation, starting with Mecca. That is something even those mindless sheep could understand. At the same time, I would no longer arm Israel. One of the big reasons they hate us is our military support of Israel and I don't blame them for that. However, I wouldn't leave Israel hanging either. Anyone who attacked Israel would feel the wrath of our armed forces. Park a carrier task force of the coast of Israel and we could easily defend them. There would be no negotiating with terrorists at all. The ONLY thing they comprehend is force, so we should give it to them with all our might. They don't believe in freedom, so Bush is stupid to say they hate us for ours. They hate us for two main reasons: First, we aren't Muslim and secondly, because we support Israel. They totally believe they can destroy us and they believe they will be rewarded for trying. The only way to stop them is to kill them. This is a harsh way to deal with them, but it is the only way. If they won't let us live in peace, then they must be destroyed. It's too bad we have a President who does things half-assed, but that's a whole other post.

Skaal,
Loki

2006-09-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

Since this is my first post, I'll introduce myself. I'm a Pagan, Liberterian, Metalhead with a very strong dislike for authority. I call it like I see it and if that means being politically incorrect, so be it. I have a very simple philosophy for dealing with people. If you're decent to me, I'll reciprocate. If you aren't, then fuck you, stay away from me. I judge people solely on their actions (or lack thereof). I don't put up with bullshit or excuses. If you make a mistake, own up to it, learn from it and move on. Don't blame your bad childhood, your crappy parents, lousy friends or whatever addiction you may have. To quote Denis Leary, "Life sucks, get a fucking helmet!" I think that pretty much covers my basic outlook on life.

Skaal,
Loki