Blog Shorts

Here we are, another edition of Jimi’s Blog Shorts–articles from my Google Reader which caught my attention, however, I did not have opinion enough on them for a full blog post.  Hope you enjoy them and feel free to comment.

Blog Shorts — Mini Random Thoughts

So, I have found my title for items I wish to discuss but do not have enough to say to fill an entire post.  Some of these may evolve into full posts of their own, but for the most part I really do not think so.

Nancy Reagan Isn’t Firing On All Cylinders

Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I honestly cannot believe that Nancy Reagan has given her endorsement to Mitt Romney.  I understand they are both Republicans and all, however, Romney is of the era of new Republicans who are not required to have a brain or a conscience.  Even as a Liberal I respected Ronald Reagan as President and honestly, I do not think he would have cared for Romney, or any of the GOP candidates that we saw during this campaign.

Nancy Reagan made a statement about Romney’s “strong principles.”  Exactly which principles is she referring to here?  His love of big corporations?  His hatred for the homosexual population of the country he want to be President of?  His complete disrespect for women?  I am honestly hoping that Alzheimer’s is something that can be passed between married people and Nancy caught it from Ronald and that is the reason behind this endorsement.

Actually, I do not know why I am getting so worked up over this–its not like Romney stands a chance of winning come November, not with his stance on the issues.  We all know that Obama will get a second term, the democrats will take over Congress, as well as those states doing elections, and we will see some actual change come about.

Related articles

• Romney wins endorsement of Nancy Reagan (rawstory.com)
• Is Ann Romney a New Nancy Reagan? (socyberty.com)

Some News Tid-Bits

A smoke-free country? New Zealand taxes aim for it – Yes we all know smoking is bad for everyone; however, adults do make informed choices and this is honestly just getting ridiculous.  Didn’t they learn anything from alcohol prohibition?

Whopping Cough PSA – I am not usually a big fan of inflammatory commercials; however, this one strikes a chord with me considering the new movement to not vaccinate children.  Not vaccinating your child is very irresponsible not only for them, but for everyone around them.  You never know what your child will pick up because you made a choice not to vaccinate, and as shown on an episode of Law & Order SVU concerning the measles vaccination, if my child is harmed due to your choice you can bet your ass I am suing you.

After-Birth Abortion – Pardon my language but, fuck you, it’s not a choice at this point.

‘Hunger Games’ on Banned Book list – Books should never been banned, it’s foolish.  Restricted for ages because of content, that is fine, but outright banning a book is just seeking to control a society.  And yes, that even applies to ‘Twilight’. 

Kansas Governor, Sam Brownback, Signs Anti-Sharia Bill, Effectively Banning Islamic Law – Sounds good to me!  No, seriously, this is America, you come here you fall under the jurisdiction of the American courts and their laws, it really is that simple.  If I go to your nation can I expect to be covered by only America’s laws?

Richard Leakey: Evolution Debate Soon Will Be History - For me the debate is already history; however, I do understand that some people find it easier to accept the *poof* everything is here theory over logic.

How a legal case could force 1.2 million in Quebec to marry  – this is an important one to read and keep an eye on because it calls into the limelight the responsibility of anyone in a relationship.  What is it about one piece of paper that says “Ok know you owe him/her money for life?”  I remember way back when Sandra Locke successfully sued Clint Eastwood for palimony, money from being in a non-married relationship.  This definitely raises a lot of questions and while it is happening in Canada, it is not that far of a stretch to imagine similar things occurring here in America.

’6,000 RIM jobs at risk’ of a pink slip – My inner 13 year old is giggling uncontrollably at this one.  I am not including this one for the article, merely for the fact the title never should have made it past the editor.

Miami Police Shoot, Kill Man Eating Another Man’s Face – I am curious why they could not taze him in this situation.  At any rate, it is rather disturbing and I foresee a lot of jokes and memes coming about from this.

 

George Zimmerman, The Victim (Or How I Learned To Hate The Hoodie)

As I was perusing my news feeds this morning, I cam across this little gem.  It still baffles me how people are putting George Zimmerman in the victim/hero role with this case.  Did he gets his ass handed to him by Trayvon Martin?  Most likely and good on Martin for doing so.  Zimmerman effectively stalked him through that neighborhood and even after being told by the police to stay in his vehicle, he got out and confronted Trayvon.

In the newly released documents, lead homicide officer on the case, Chris Serino of the Sanford Police Department, called the shooting “avoidable” had Zimmerman remained in his vehicle.

Even the lead cop on this case says Zimmerman was at fault for what transpired on that evening.  It really does not matter that pot was found in Martin’s system during the autopsy, Zimmerman is by no means and expert in the matters and his statement of “acting like he is on drugs or something” is nothing more than profiling.  I still stand by original statement that Zimmerman was looking to earn his spurs and Martin was unfortunate enough to come up on his radar that night.

For Geraldo Rivera to make the statement that Martin was dressed like a “thug” is like claiming a woman was at fault for getting raped because of what she was wearing.  It just does not hold any water and just continues to show how much of a complete idiot Rivera is, something I have believed for a couple of decades not, at least.  Rivera really needs to go back to his talk show with midget Klansman and stay there, he is a hate-monger only satisfied with firing up people and profiting from it.

Zimmerman needs to be held responsible for what he did.  This is not a case of self-defense, no one can ever convince me of that.  As soon as Zimmerman stepped out of that vehicle and accosted Martin it became nothing more than someone standing up to a stalker, which in reality is all Zimmerman was.  He needs to spend time in jail at the least and never be allowed to owe a firearm again.  His actions are despicable and his lawyers are tools, the kind of defense lawyers I really hate for trying to vilify the victim in order to exonerate their client.  Well sorry to say folks, this is the internet age and we are not going to stand for that crap.

I will not speculate on the ramifications of Zimmerman getting off of these charges, only to say I will be keeping my eyes on the headlines as I always do.

 

Related articles

• Evidence details timeline in Trayvon Martin case (clickorlando.com)
• George Zimmerman evidence released (news4jax.com)
• Police report: Trayvon Martin’s shooting was “avoidable” – USA TODAY (usatoday.com)
• George Zimmerman evidence released (click2houston.com)
• Video Shows Trayvon at Store (newser.com)
• George Zimmerman evidence released (local10.com)
• More Details of Trayvon Martin’s Last Minutes Emerge (nymag.com)
• George Zimmerman evidence released (clickorlando.com)
• FBI May Charge George Zimmerman With Hate Crime – Could Face Death Penalty (thegatewaypundit.com)
• Why Is Trayvon Martin Dead? (my.firedoglake.com)
• So Much for Geraldo Rivera’s Apology on Hoodies (themoderatevoice.com)
• Re.: the Trayvon Martin killing (writingsbysay.wordpress.com)
• Zimmerman Case: Should It Be Dropped? (abcnews.go.com)
• Cultural Commodity As Distraction: Clothing As Racial Rhetoric (redsociology.com)
• Florida v George Zimmerman Blood Analysis Compiled (princss6.wordpress.com)
• Report: George Zimmerman May Face Hate Crime Charges (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• 9 Facts That Aren’t Being Considered In The Trayvon Martin Case (therussparrmorningshow.com)

Bush Administration Members Found Guilty of War Crimes

As I refreshed Facebook the article about Bush, et. al. being found guilty of war crimes popped up from AddictingInfo.  While I admittedly do not understand fully all the legal and political ramifications of this, I do recognize that it is huge.  Many of us  on the Liberal Left have known for many years what these mean did was wrong, in fact illegal, and to get the justification of a world recognized guilty verdict is very satisfying.

It does not deter from the fake this conviction came from Malaysia, they are a world recognized sovereign nation in their own right; one can merely hope other countries will follow suit in finding guilty verdicts and eventually we can see actual charges come about from these horrid events.  The fact Bush was a President has no bearing on this, he broke international law by violating the Geneva Convention–something America has been adamant about upholding for a very long time.  The comparison to the Nuremberg trials is satisfying to me as what occurred is in fact on the dame level legally.  Granted the atrocities were much higher during WWII, it does not change the fact that atrocities happened and very approved from the highest levels of the American government.

This is an important moment in the world’s collective history as it is the first time America has been cast in this light and, you know what?  We deserve it.  We allowed Bush to continue on with his policies and even reelected the bastard.  For all the bullshit that gets slung around about Obama, at least has never tortured people (Hello Mitt Romney) nor is he facing these same kinds of charges.  Bush and his cronies deserve to face charges for these crimes as they are nothing more than bullies, serving the interests of the people that throw money at them in order to increase their own wealth to the detriment of not only middle-class Americans but people all over the world.

I am still torn over the issue of the American presence in Afghanistan and Iraq; on the one hand I deplore evil wherever it resides but, on the other hand we cannot impose our will on the innocent, in fact causing harm to their own lives, to serve the interests of the few rich.  Did Bin Laden and Hussein need to be removed from this planet?  Absolutely!  However, torture, innocent lives lost…  these costs are much to high to pay for these events.

Although I recognize the political ramifications of this are to high for Obama, my one wish is for him to call a tribunal to put forth charges against these same men.  Wouldn’t that be grand to see happen here on American soil?  Christ, the Tea-Baggers would go nuts, the Republican party would probably vanish as their rhetoric, racism and outright hatred would come out in full color against Obama.  But, it is still something pleasant to think about–justice being served by Bush’s home country.

The only downside of this for me is the bad light that W is casting on Bush Sr., even though I am a liberal I have a high amount of respect for Bush Sr., yeah that may be twisted and what not, but it is the truth of the matter.  W was a cancer to our nation, a cancer we are still attempting to recover from and which the GOP is still denying and trying to pass off as just a bad cough.

Related articles

• George Bush and Tony Blair Found Guilty of War Crimes at International Tribunal (Video) (thegatewaypundit.com)
• Bush Found Guilty of War Crimes (12160.info)
• Bush Found Guilty of War Crimes (aangirfan.blogspot.com)
• Malaysian Tribunal Finds Bush Guilty of War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity (redstateprogressive.com)
• Bush & Associates Found Guilty of Torture (2012indyinfo.com)
• PressTV – Malaysian tribunal finds Bush guilty of war crimes (aboriginalpress.wordpress.com)
• Bush Found Guilty Of War Crimes (altahrir.wordpress.com)
• Former US President Bush ‘guilty of war crimes & torture’ (rightways.wordpress.com)
• PressTV: Malaysian tribunal finds Bush guilty of war crimes (jhaines6.wordpress.com)
• Malaysian tribunal finds Bush guilty of war crimes (weeklyintercept.blogspot.com)
• Bush Found Guilty Of War Crimes (12160.info)
• Bush Officials Guilty of War Crimes Says Malaysian Tribunal (redstateprogressive.com)

Obama Gives His Support For Marriage Equality

I must say I am not surprised by this announcement at all, however, it is still reassuring to have it vocalized.  Now that we have recognition from the Executive board we are that much closer to insuring a law nationwide permitting same-sex marriage.  It still pisses me off that we need to have a law in place, however, as history, and argumentative children show us, if it is not laid out in exacting detail then it does not apply.

We still have a long hard road ahead of us, however, the mindset of the nation is changing and this will become a litmus-test issue in future elections, at all levels of the government.  While I am not a believer in single issue voting, the fact is it happens and politicians need to realize this.  Politicians are not in office to enforce their beliefs on everyone else, they are in office to serve the people that elected them and to serve their interests.

I am glad that Obama has finally jumped off the fence and taken the right stance on this issue.  We are not a Christian nation therefore it does not matter one bit what the Bible has to say about homosexuality.  As for people’s personal beliefs…  if homosexuality bothers you, then don’t be homosexual.  It is not for you to dictate how other people live.  Remember Hitler, he tried that shit–blonde hair, blue eyed, the perfect Aryan, everyone else was only worthy of death.  How would y’all feel if people started national movements to outlaw oral sex or positions other than missionary?  What if they outlawed sex overall with the exception of means of procreation?  I bet you would rise up then.  It is complete bullshit that the majority are being allowed to dictate how the minority live their lives, I thought we stopped that shit with the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

People are just so sad somethings, they really are.  They get so focused on managing everyone’s lives that they lose focus of what it is they are trying to accomplish.  The only life you need to work on is your own, allow everyone the chance to live their life as they see fit, it really is as simple as that.  Just remember, there are things you do that others might find offensive and if we allow this bullying to go on long enough your activities will be outlawed as well.

The most important lesson Jesus Christ had to teach was:

In this life we have three great lasting qualities—faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

 

Related articles

• Ed Rendell: Obama Should ‘Man Up’ And Embrace Same-Sex Marriage (thinkprogress.org)
• Guardian journalist predicts 2012 will be last year both parties oppose same sex marriage (rawstory.com)
• Half of Americans Support Legalizing Gay Marriage (newsy.com)
• Shame On You North Carolina (tinfoilhatman45.wordpress.com)
• Breaking: President Obama Supports Gay Marriage, Cites Christ And The Golden Rule (thenewcivilrightsmovement.com)
• ERROR OF MAN: Choose ye this day (exministries.wordpress.com)
• The end of Obama’s “evolution”? (salon.com)
• Biden joined on gay marriage by Sec. of Education (seattlepi.com)
• POLL: Marriage Equality Support Strong Among Democrats And Independents (thinkprogress.org)

Items That Are To Short For A Post By Themselves

Secrecy in the George Zimmerman Case – Now this does not surprise me at all.  This entire fiasco has been shady from the start and I really do not see it getting any better.

Subpoenaing Tweets For What Purpose? - What do they hope to find?  That he was venting about financial inequality?  That he was going to protest?  What a waste of tax-payer funds.

Defining A Fetus on a White House Tour – Really?  Is this really the best the Republicans can do?  Why aren’t they focusing on important issues like…  fixing the economy!

Real Life LightSaber – Nothing more I can add to this one.

America’s Greatest Mistake Was Letting Women Vote – I honestly do not know what is making me giggle more, the fact that he really believes this drivel or the fact that he is black.

Hot Manhole Covers – Who would steal manhole covers and for what purpose?  It’s not like license plates that you can hang on the wall…

An Almost Nipple Slip – Really?  I am quite over the whole wardrobe malfunction thing.  While I am sure there is some horny 13 year old teens out there eagerly awaiting to see it, please let it rest.

Obama Wishy-Washy on Gay Marriage – I like the guy, I really do and I like what he has done for the country.  However, he needs to set his personal beliefs aside and put this through already.  Gay people deserve the right to legally marry who they choose to.  This will eventually come to be at any rate and it is far past the time to bring the future to the now.

 

News Round-Up–April 9th

I’ve been rather busy with end of semester school work and have not had much time to post recently so what I am going to do here is post some links to some rather interesting news links (at least interesting for me) and leave a little blurb about each one.

Impeach the Supreme Court Justices If They Overturn Health-Care Law – While I do not think we need to go so far as to impeach the justices I do think we all need to understand that these justices comes onto the court with their own political beliefs and while they are supposed to be ruling unbiasedly, they do not.  Perhaps it is time to rethink how Supreme Court justices are appointed and make sure we get people that either do not have political beliefs or are dead in the middle.  They are supposed to be ruling on constitutionality of things, not the party lines.

Down in a Swing-State Poll, Can Mitt Romney Win Women Voters Back? – Sorry to say this but if any woman votes for Romney, or any of the Republican candidates, they are damn fools and deserve whatever happens to them once these idgits are in office, if they manage to pull that one off.

Marines Want Tea Party Soldier Out – As my drill Sergeant said to me, “It is the duty of the soldier to protect democracy, not to practice it.”

Chinese Teen Swaps Organ for iPhone – I have never wanted anything that bad…  well except maybe an omelet.

‘Bully’ Wins PG-13 Rating – The fact that there was a fight to get the rating dropped from R to PG-13 sickens me.  The point of this movie is to discourage kids from bullying, yet we won’t let them watch it…

British Man ‘Fathered’ 600 Children – I do not like the word fathered here.  Fathered implies that he had some part of raising them.  Not sure if there really is a fitting word to describe the action of jerking off into a cup to get money…

Trayvon Martin Case: George Zimmerman Lawyer Cites ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ As Defense - Oh really now?  They are just pulling out all the stops aren’t they?

Charles Manson, now 77, gets new chance at parole – Personally I do not think he has a chance in hell of getting paroled, but it still humors me that he is trying.

And in other news I am currently looking for a job, pretty sure the whole school thing is over for me now.  I got one hopeful application in at a job I used to have before all my medical issues started and I am hoping to get that one.  However, whichever job I do get I will probably be limited on my posts here although I will try to do at least three a week.

News That Makes Me Go WTF?

Dorothy Bond has resigned her position as principal at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee.  While this move does not irk me, her original actions do; as the principal of a school she was way out of line telling the LGBT students they were going to hell and that pregnant student’s lives were over.

Back in the 90′s I used to watch Rush Limbaugh, back when he made sense.  Now he is a complete moron–seems as though late in life inbreeding has affected him.  Really Rush, a woman is a slut/prostitute because she wants birth control?  Where is your Fred Flintstone outfit you cave man?  Hey Rush, does your insurance cover your Viagra?  Not only should Rush be forced to apologize he should be removed from the airwaves.

Judge Richard Cebull should really pay attention to current events in relation to social media and e-mail.  How he expected to not get busted on this racist, vile e-mail I will never know, but it is out in the public now and his career is probably over as well.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio really needs to take the tin-foil hat off.  If there was any proof to the fact that President Obama was not a natural born citizen it would have come out through official channels by now.  I really do feel that this all boils down to people not being able to accept the fact that a black man is President.

QR Codes on condoms…  seems more like a high tech version of the Penthouse Forum letters.