Uncouth PerspectivesNot on the rug, man.

I suppose, for those who know me, this may not be anything knew.

Either way, though, I am disturbed. I was going through some news articles, trying to find something to post and something to rant about, and I’ve read up on some so-called political articles.

I do not know if I have rambled on about politics and government, yet, so here goes:

What is politics? Politics is the system (or science) which defines the principles of a social system. Politics is how we achieve the protection of our rights. And that is the purpose, and only purpose of a government. To protect our rights. And when I say rights, I am talking about the most basic rights. The freedoms associated with being conceptual beings–the freedom and right to pursue happiness.

Government’s do not and should not have the power to do more than this. They are defined by the people and only exist because of the needs to protect these basic freedoms.

And, so, I am sickened when I read things like senator’s asking motor companies to get SUV’s better gas mileage. First, why is our government wasting it’s time on this. Aren’t there more important things to be working on? Second, if people have a problem with the gas mileage, they can take care of it! Do not go crying to momma or poppa senator. Do not buy the car. Complain to the company. Deal with it YOURSELF. Oh, wait, you’re right, I’m overreacting. Why should people be accountable for themselves… it MUST be someone else’s fault and problem.

I am also bothered when I read about “faith-based legislation.” I am fed up with things like this. Here is the simple bottom line: the government is here to protect our rights, not to tell us which religion to support. If we even WANT to support a religion. People are getting murdered, I can hardly drive on some of the streets, some areas are in complete disaster, and our government is worrying about if churches are getting enough funding?! Shouldn’t the churches be worried about their funding?

Anyways, I think it is important to remember that we are the people, and we do have a say. “Politics” have become a joke, it has become acceptable for politicians to be greedy and unscrupulous, and we sit by and let it happen.

First they decided to stand against the homosexual lifestyle. Then they were denied access to meet in certain schools because they discriminated. Now congress is saying that they will shut off funding for schools if they deny access to Boy Scouts.

I must dearly apologize to the rest of the nation for producing such a notoriously insensitive, idiotic, hard headed senator from my own state, Senator Jesse Helms. Now many congressmen including Mr. Helms defend Boy Scouts by saying they are being discriminated and have a perfect right to decide their membership code through the 1st amendment. Well where was Mr. Helms and the rest of those senators when homosexuals were being discriminated while fulfilling their ‘persuit of happiness?’

Schools are not allowed to discriminate against anyone from a public education. Therefore, the school is open for all people. Well once public schools open doors to openly discriminating organizations such as the Boy Scouts, then that falls back on the schools’ reputations and looks bad for schools. However, it is a true statement that denying Boy Scouts access to meet in public schools would in itself be discrimination. Now that schools are open for meetings of discriminating organizations then the Ku Klux Klan could very well meet on school campuses. Equal access means open access.

Then one senator mentioned the time Boy Scouts were denied access to recruiting new members while on school campus. Well is the recruitment of children by homosexuals not the worst fear of conservatives today? Then if Boy Scouts can recruit on campus then access can not be denied by the ‘alternative lifestyle’ clubs of high schools to recruit on campuses either.

Another comment a New Hampshire senator made was the fact Boy Scouts produces law-abiding, crime free citizen. Crime is committed when one person looks at another and says, “You are different, and I don’t like you because of it.” How can you discriminate homosexuals now and expect these scouts to not discriminate against homosexuals later on in life? Homosexuals are not going to just die out, convert, or disappear. There has always been homosexuals and there always will be homosexuals. It’s attitudes like that that put towns like Laramie, Wyoming (Matthew Shepard’s murder) on the map.

In summary it is ironic to acclaim a discriminating organization as a victim of discrimination. Schools do not have to allow access to any uneducational organization on their campus by law. However, the law does say if access is allowed for one organization then it should be allowed for all organizations. Organizations that meet in school reflect the norms of the school. Teachers, students, and parents head up these organizations and meet on campus because it’s cheap and convenient. However, some of the norms that are shown through some organizations do not hold absolute norms or even the majority norms of all the staff, students, and parents of that school. When this happens then those who are offended by the organization shouldn’t try to destroy the organization indefinitely but speak out about their concerns and be proud of their own norms. A Human Rights Campaign organization is a great example of how the resistance can speak for themselves in this chaotic situation.

In further conclusion the victim is not the Boy Scout organization but the children who are apart of the organization. I saved this argument lastly because they are too often used by politicians like pawns on their political chess board. The children don’t care who their leaders date or marry. They don’t care if their is someone who is different in their troup. Children only want to have fun, be children, and grow up to be productive citizens.

A group of friends and myself had the privilege and the pleasure to sit and talk with Patricia Quinn. For those of you who do not know who Patricia Quinn is–she is the actress who portrayed “Magenta” in the film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. For those of you who do not know what that is, go find out.

We sat in a hotel room and listened to her tell stories. We had a discussions and she actually listened to what we said and cared. It was really fantastic.

However, this rant is not about how cool Patricia Quinn is (and, trust me, she is very cool). It is rather about the phenomenon of being “star struck.” I have, honestly, never really understood this. I have met a -lot- of stars in my time, and I do not doubt that I will meet many more. I have met movies stars, music stars, authors, etc.

And, always, I treat them as people. Of course, with much respect for their success and their abilities. However, that does not make them not a person. They have beliefs and values. They are not anything more than you or I… they were just able to make their dreams happen.

It is kind of humorous for me to watch people who do get star struck though. During the party we were having to kick off the convention, Patricia Quinn walked in and started dancing during a punk rendition (by the FABULOUS White Trash Debutantes) of Time Warp. She just walked in and started hopping around and having fun. And, as people realized who it was, camera’s started popping out and people started backing away. Two girls near me were in near histarics. She, the trooper, trudged on and found a spot where she could dance WITH people who were not going to fall down in spasms from being so close to a star.

Here is my point after all of that rambling. Stars are no different that you or I. They deserved to be treated like people… and for the most part, appreciate it. They’d rather have a fan walk up and say calmly, “I really enjoy what you do, would you mind ________.” Than people buzzarding around and not saying anything, or people crawling over them at every pace. It is amazing what you can do if you treat people–anyone–with a little bit of respect and dignity. You might even get to sit and talk with them in a hotel room late into the night.

Want to know just where our world is going?

Just visit this link:

http://www.bonsaikitten.com/bkintro.html.

I am bothered by the focus of humanity on death, rather than life. You see, I feel that too many people jump to things like religion and God for nothing more than a fear of death and the beyond.

I often have conversations about this subject. It usually starts out as a conversation about beliefs and values, ends up moving to God/gods and/or the afterlife. There is this deep seated fear in people that they do not want to die. I can understand, sympathize, and agree with this. I love life and I do not want it to end. But, I am not going to crawl fetal into the corner and cry for a diety to come save me. I am disgusted by how my conversations can go to these places, as well:

“So, you are an atheist?”

“No, that’s why I am an atheist.”

“Oh, well, I just wanted to make sure.” Don’t get me started on people who do not know what atheism is, nor on the resulting response to people like that causes me to have to repeat myself–or people like Douglas Adams to make the claim of “radical atheist.”

“Okay.”

“How can you not believe in God?”

“Because I don’t.” Sorry, asking me “how…” and “why do you not…” are two very different questions. One deserves a good answer, the other deserves a good swift kick.

“What do you think happens when you die?” It’s amazing how fast a lot of these conversations get here.

“You die.” Sometimes, I wonder if some people even know what the definition of “death” is.

“How can you believe that? That’s soo scary!” Case and point?

In short, I am not using this as an argument against religion or God. But I believe that there is an overwhelming movement in people to look towards death and “afterlife” because they are so afraid of it. When this happens, these people stop living for today. I would even venture to say that they stop really living.

I do not like the idea of death. I, like most everyone else, do not want to die. Sadly, it is going to happen. We all die. However, I am not afraid of it. I live every day to the fullest and my life means something. When the day comes that I must give it up, I will be content with the knowledge that I am happy and that every day I lived was a day worth living–even if it was sad or bad.

There are many people with whom you will meet and associate with in your life time. You will face many challenges with these people and may even become close. However, there really truly are very few actual friends. But, those who are… these are very special people. It may take you years to know who they are. You may not even be close at times. But, the connection that is there will, to be cliche, stand the test of time.

Friendship is not something mystical and magical, though. It is not something that just “happens.” It is not something fated to be by destiny. It is the connection of the basic beliefs and values of two people. It is two mind that think alike, or at least at the core, believe the same thing. Friends can be different people–but in the end, their goals are the same.

This may sound a bit wish-washy, but I was struck tonight. I encountered a friend who I have not seen in almost two years. I’ve have known him for almost 8. For someone who has moved around as much as I have, I would have never thought I could say I have known someone over a time period of 8 years and be able to suddenly be in contact with them. I also would not have though that any bond could have lasted over that time.

I am again, surprised, at the agility of the human mind. We instantly reconnected. It was like he and I had been apart for a day. Now, this is not something like “he’s my new best friend!” We have our differences, we have barely seen each other, but I know this is someone who I can depend on and who I am proud to call friend. Someone who I am proud to share my accomplishments with…and proud to share my failures with.

Do not discount your true friends lightly. They come but rarely, but if you embrace them, they will last a lifetime.

bigot n. One fanatically devoted to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and intolerant of those who differ.

I am tired of it. I am tired of feigned superiority. I am tired of grasping onto beliefs that are not true. I am tired of hate. People hating each other for stupid reasons.

Like what, you ask? Like God, for example. Yes, God is a stupid idea to die over. Here is what I mean. We should be worrying more about living, than what is beyond what we can grasp. So what if someone else believes that if they achieve spiritual enlightenment, they will attain Nirvana, and you believe that if you pray to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, you will get to go to Heaven. You should be more worried about how to get food into your belly and how to walk. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying “Don’t believe” or “Don’t worry about beliefs.” I, of all people, support knowing and having beliefs. What I mean is, why do we HATE over them. Do you think what is going on in Isreal is REALLY a religious “My god is better than your god” thing. To a small extent, it is. For those who have an understanding, however, Islam has claimed to be the next step in progression. Judiasm, Christianity, then Islam. The struggle there is more about “this is my home, go find your own.” And the whole God thing comes in handy as a nice excuse.

I have a small secret I would like to share. We are all people. We all need to eat. We all need to breathe. We all need to defecate. Literally, shit happens. Our beliefs are important, but the world is full of different ones. It should not be about how better your God is, or how better your apartment is, or “I get to go to heaven, and you get to burn in hell, neener neener!”

It’s funny. Someone hates another person for their race, we call them racist. Someone beats another person over the head with his/her religious belief, and we call them Christian.

Some of you will even yell and scream because “I am just bitching.” Perhaps you should go read our disclaimer?

I want to cover a couple issues with driving, here in Southern California, that bother me. It’s not really enough for individual rants, so I’m just going to see what I can do.

Turn Signals

Okay, here is the deal with turn signals. Bottom line, it’s a form of something we seem to lack as a society–COMMUNICATION. I want to go this way, so I am going to let you know. It is simple and easy and you do not even really have to move your hand that much (unless you are holding a cheeseburger, soda, compact, book, etc.!). “Oh, it really does not do that much,” you say. Well, it does. Bottom line, it is the small things that count, and doing our best to communicate is one of them.

Driving fast, then break. Fast, then break. Fast, then break.

Look, it is easy. It’s called constant speed. Most of us can do it. When there is a line of cars, we all try to drive the same speed and that way we just go. But there always has to be some jackhole who drives too fast and then has to hit the breaks. And they keep doing it. And when one break light goes on, everybody behind that person automatically hits his/her breaks. And the whole line stops. By not going trying to go faster just a little, you end up getting to your destination a lot quicker.

Moving over a lane, just because there is “space” there, not because it is productive.

You know what I am talking about. You are driving a long. It is a two lane road. You are driving relatively fast. All of a sudden, the driver in the other lane moves over, because there are a couple of cars in his/her lane, and only you in yours. Generally this person is going slower than you and is in front. Lane changing should be because you need to go faster or slower or need to get somewhere. I despise people who move over and do not speed up or slow down (respective to the lane change). We should not be focused in on “filling the space” in on the roads and highways. We should be focusing on driving… and getting to where we are going.

Don’t swerve.

Need I say more?

Cutting someone off just because they are going fast.

ARE YOU INSANE?!

I suppose that is it for now. I love to drive. I enjoy working with people. I do not enjoy driving around other people, because it becomes about “competativeness” or “my space” instead of “how can we all work together to accomplish our individual goals?”

I have always loved people who need to appear like they are “all that.” The bad ass who walks down the mall staring everyone down. The lonely rebel who takes all and loves none.

Or, uhm, the person who does not understand their beliefs or values, a person who is lost in the world, someone who has so little self worth they need to scare it out of everyone else.

And, so original, too. It is amazing how much the “non conforming” bad ass conforms to the ideas of that… nonconformity.

Although, I have to admit the idea has changed. It’s evolved from the tough looking, “I’m going to pound your face into the ground” look into the baggy clothes, messy hair, wanna-be rapper, “I’ll just shoot you” look.

And that is really what I want to talk about.

“I’m going to shoot you.”

It has gone from getting physical harmed to dead. How the hell did that happen?! I can honestly understand physical hurting someone else when you are in a state of misunderstanding and are ultimately lost and confused. Kick someone’s ass and feel better for a moment. Do I agree with it, no. But I can empathize.

However, I want to know what people are doing to themselves, we as a society (to have allowed this!), that makes killing okay. Why has this become a standard. Kid’s do not walk home from school with a black eye, anymore. They go to a morgue.

Life is to precious to waste on petty bully antics. And even less on killing other people. Give someone violence, and they will show the world what they have become. Give them happiness, and they will be happy.

I can prove that I was really sick, because I turned on the TV and started actually watching it. I do not normally watch TV. I can not stand the fake shows. I can not stand the censorship. I can not stand that advertising (well, that Budget rental commercial with the weight trainer cracking a walnut with his buttocks is funny). But, yet, there I was, watching it. Funny. Reading a book made me dizzy, but not TV. Whatever.

Anyways, at one point I started watching one of my old time favorites. A Bob Larson infomercial. Bob Larson is a Christian pastor. In this particular infomercial, he showed us a demon exorcism. He had a mother and a daughter, who were both born illegitimately (and the daughter had just had a child, illegitimately), and he was going to “break the curse” and “exorcise” the demon.

Most of what happened is that Bob Larson had the mother “renounce the curse” and stand strong… and be there for her daughter.

Then he had the daughter “renounce the curse” and then talk and yell out the anger for her mother. The girl yelled and screamed and told her mother how much she hated her for “giving her the curse.”

(Car screeching to a halt sounds.)

First, what he is doing here is what anyone can and should do. Be strong from their mistakes and learn from them. Communicate about the pain. Be real people. Instead, however, up until this point, they have not been real people. The mother has not raised the daughter good, not shown her the love she needed, and I would bet the entire time, they had faith that “God would take care of it for them.” It’s time to wake up and smell the maple nut crunch. You need to do it yourself, which is what sly Bob Larson had you do. He had you start the healing process by being able to stand strong, being able to face your fears, and communicating about it to each other.

I really have more to say on this, but my head is spinning… I hope I got my point across.