My Submission to Graphjam

http://graphjam.com/

I hope you get it.

I think (but not too hard)

I think Obama’s going to win in the fall. It makes me sick. We have a long summer to go and there’s a lot of mud slinging still left, but I think he’s going to win. In the 60’s it was Kennedy, 20 years later was Reagan and now 20 years later I think it’s Obama time.

I think that Obama, while appearing to be lacking in international experience, is a pretty savvy politician. He’s savvy and he’s got a good team around him. In saying that, what I’m also trying to say is that when we get right down to it, Obama isn’t going to bring anything new to the table. We’ll all feel so much more special when we’re being bent over, but the end result will be the same (crude analogy? Yes. Did I make my point? I hope so).

I think that the media’s fawning over Michelle Obama is, frankly, repulsive. Which received more coverage last week, Obama or Michelle’s sun dress?

I think that raising taxes is a horrible idea. I think that redistributing wealth via increased taxes is an incredibly poor formula to improving the economy. I also don’t understand how giving congress (who, by the way, has a lower approval rating than Bush, but who’s keeping track, right?), more of our money to spend, when they have done such a poor job with what we have given them so far, is such a great idea. If someone does a poor job, do you reward them for that? Is this what they teach at Columbia and Harvard? It’s my money, I worked for it, why do I have to give more of it to the government?

I think that anyone who doesn’t recognize that conditions in Iraq are improving is not paying attention to current events. Do you know what the leading, international issue headline on the WSJ is today? Zimbabwe. How many troops do we have there? You know why there isn’t anything about Iraq? Because there isn’t anything coming out of Iraq that major media outlets consider to be news anymore.

I think, that based upon the amount of rain and sun that we have been having in Upstate NY, we’re going to have a crazy corn crop this year. This almost has to be perfect weather for growing crops.

I think that my writing really doesn’t stand up to the writing of a lot of people here. I really like the way that Jack questions people and their assumptions and I think that if I pay attention, I can learn a lot from how he does it. I like the way that Adri writes, but I’ve told her that enough, so let’s not bang that drum any more.

I think that living your life for the next big thing, the next milestone or the next shiny new object, after a while, leaves you wanting more. I’ve really come to appreciate wearing stuff out, but I’m not really sure if the rest of my family is on the same wavelength. We have a 7 year old van with 135,000 miles on it, more rest spots than a cheetah, and you know what? I really like it. It’s been around, it’s been places, you know? It’s a trusted old friend, that, just like real friends, when I really need it, it’s going to let me down.

I think it’s sad that people get more comments on their blogs when there are pictures of attractive women at the top of the blog, than when there isn’t. And then, most of the comments (from both men and women, I notice) are centered around some sort of sexual reference, rather than trying to think up of something original to say. It’s like when Heather put up the picture of her sweating at night. There were so many comments along the lines of “Hey babe, how about I come over and get all hot and sweaty with you”. Just once would someone say “Hey, you looked like crap there. Go take a shower and clean up, ‘cause I’m not all into your body odor and shit like that”? Wouldn’t that be kind of funny once in a while? Anyone can tell you that you’re pretty, not everyone can make you laugh. Or spit milk out of your nose, which is really a good skill to have, if you ask me.

I think that I’ve beat this blog to death.

Tolerance

I’ve always liked to believe that I’m a fairly tolerant person. I don’t know if that’s exactly true any longer, and I’m wondering how much it was really true in the past. Has this just been a veil that I’ve drawn across my mind to sublimate my actual feelings on certain issues?

Honestly, if we look at the biblical view of tolerance, I’m not a very tolerant person:

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

I look at that now and wonder to myself, ok, I’ll turn the other cheek for the person, but what am I supposed to do for the next person? And the person after that and after that, and so on and so forth until I’ve reached the 100^th person that wants to strike me on the cheek. Am I intolerant if I don’t turn my cheek for them?

If a person, or a group of people, or a whole class of people, do the same thing over and over again, is it tolerance if we continue to allow them to do that, or just sheer stupidity and gullibility? Am I required to provide the same level of tolerance to the 100^th person that, in my opinion, foists the same mindless drivel on me as the pervious 99?

I’m a fiscally conservative and a moderate socially. I don’t think it’s my position to judge people and their actions (within reason) and I’ll leave it up to our Heavenly Father to make that call (yes, I’m one of those). But, am I being hypocritical if I don’t judge you but I judge your positions on certain issues? Am I being hypocritical if I pass on the fact that you’re a cross-dressing transsexual who enjoys a little necrophilia, but I think that your position that we should have universal health care is moronic?

Is it tolerance or just the fact that my social acceptance meter sinks to new lows each year? Am I more tolerant of gays now, or is it that I’m just reflecting society’s increased tolerance of them?

Why do I get defensive when people say that I’m not tolerant or that I don’t have any patience, when I always thought that I did? Is there an acceptable limit to tolerance and patience?

And, if I should turn the other cheek when someone wrongs me, am I supposed to do the same thing if someone wrongs something or someone that I hold dear? Do I continually have to turn the other cheek and hope that someday these people will come to realize that they were wrong? Or is it ok to once in a while say “You’re fucking nuts, go to hell”?

Hmmmmmm

(This was on my 360 page, and I wanted to move it here. If you've already read it there, sorry for the repitition. It's just so hard to have an original thought these days.)

Just Wondering, Part 2

Wikipedia defines that the Law of Unintended Consequences “states that any purposeful action will produce some unintended consequences.”, or, in another fashion, as “outcomes that are not (or not limited to) what the actor intended in a particular situation.”

Now, with that in mind, let’s say, just for fun, that the run up in gas prices is actually the result of a secret cover-up by Bush to “allow his old cronies to bleed us to death one more time before his time is up”. You know, that old hack by the left that, while Bush is a raging idiot and the biggest moron to ever hold the office, he none the less is smart enough, with his secret cabal of evil dooers, to manipulate the global oil market to enable his capitalist pig friends to cash in big time before he is out of office.

I know I have a small mind, but does that make him the dumbest genius or the smartest moron out there?

Anyway…

So, Bush has manipulated the global energy markets to cash in all the favors that he owes, right? But, what if, due to the Law of Unintended Consequences, as a result of this run up in energy prices, it essentially forces the American society to begin implementing a coherent energy policy, Americans consume less oil, the “auto industry finally appears willing and eager to respond by speeding production of electric vehicles and high-mileage, gasoline-electric hybrids, while substantially improving the mileage of conventional oil-powered cars.” and we really begin to address and solve global warming?

What if “It's entirely possible that a decade from now, we'll realize that this was a pivotal moment in history” and it’s all due in large part to George Bush and his evil cabal? What are the Democrats going to do then?

Or will they just make sure that Obama The Savior gets all the credit?

I'm confused

At first, I thought these were pandas. But then again, could they just be a bunch of lazy assed, spoon fed American voters?

Good luck with that

This is from Obama’s campaign website:

“Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling behavior. Obama would offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in the World Trade Organization, economic investments, and a move toward normal diplomatic relations. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, we will step up our economic pressure and political isolation. Seeking this kind of comprehensive settlement with Iran is our best way to make progress.”

With that in mind, here is today’s news:

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted on Monday that Muslims would uproot "satanic powers" and repeated his controversial belief that Israel will soon disappear, the Mehr news agency reported.

"I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene," Ahmadinejad said.

"Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started."

So, ah, Obama, you know, good luck with that “tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran”, since they seem to be such reasonable people, and all that. Oh, btw, Obama? Just in case you haven’t noticed, (you have been campaigning for over two years now, so I’m sure it’s tough to keep up with details), but the US and Europe have already been offering incentives, which hasn’t done shit to change Iran’s behavior. But I’m sure that’s going to change once the Great Black Hope is in office, and, you know, once Iran buys into that whole “I’m asking you to believe” crap.

Part of me wants Obama to win, so when his new strategy with Iran eventually fails, on epic proportions, we can all sit back, toast our marshmallows over the nuclear wasteland that will be Israel, and tell the Democrats and Liberals “I told you so”.

Choices

Would you rather be hated or disliked, but right, or would you rather be loved and well regarded, but wrong?

Is it better to be a generous philanthropist, but be taken advantage of, or to be judicious with your money, and have people despise you for it?

Are you a “cuddly bear” or a fierce warrior? Or, if you’re somewhere in between, which direction do you lie and why is that better than the other?

Are you a fierce bitch (or asshole, let’s be politically correct here) with words, but shy away from physical altercations? If someone is threatening you, will you argue till your death, but never raise a hand in your defense? When is it ok to go on the offensive, to essentially say “I’m sick of your shit and your day of reckoning has come”? Or is there never a time to do that?

If you think the courts and the government has done a lousy job protecting us from the “BIG, BAD, ALL POWERFUL CORPORATIONS”, why do you want to give the government more money and more authority? If you’ve given someone a job to do, and the money to do it, and they come back to you with the job poorly done and over budget, why are you going to give them more responsibility and money?

Just wondering.