by admin | Jan 23, 2016 | Rant, Religion, Stuff I Did |
Sad Thing About That Miracle…
So a couple of years ago on Facebook I came across this post from NBC LA about a shark attack in Hawaii. As a person that loves sharks, I dove right into the article. Seems that yet another idiot thought it would be a good idea to go swimming in the morning, in the ocean, when sharks like to eat. I have little to no sympathy for people that do stupid things that end up getting themselves hurt or killed. Sure, I don’t think people should die just because they did something stupid. But, Natural Selection is a real thing and the best way to survive it is to either be smart or strong. Anyways, this lady taking the early morning swim gets attacked by a shark and some guy claiming to be a pastor swam out and saved her.
I made the mistake of reading comments. I know, never read the comments. Well, I did and of course the first comment was some idiot calling it all a miracle. The stupid shit an idiots will call a miracle in today’s world is just pathetic. If I were ever to call something a miracle, it would have to be pretty damn impressive. There’s a long list of criteria that would it would have to pass in my book before I ever uttered such words in any serious context. The story of this attack didn’t come close to passing my criteria. The sad thing about that miracle is that it wasn’t a miracle.
For example, this surfer pastor guy was brave. What he did was hero worthy in my book. But, there was noting of the supernatural involved in what he did. He simply swam out there, grabbed her and swam back. Again, extremely brave but not superhuman. As I recall, there was something special about why the surfing pastor was there in the first place that added a bit fun to the whole thing but I don’t recall the specifics. I just remember that it was one of those “whoa!” kind of moments. Like he was supposed to be at a meeting or something but had skipped it and had he not skipped it, she would have died for sure. Something like that. Again, not a miracle, just a few serendipitous moments.
Well, I made the second mistake of commenting on how it’s not a miracle. And, of course all the religious people immediately start to attack me because I dared to question their delusions. Something I know better than to do. Never questions the delusions of schizophrenic people. It was one attack after another against be about that miracle. It got so bad that even the reporter came after me in the thread. I mean she flat out attacked me. I have to admit that I was a little hurt that she would go after me like that. She’s a reporter, I didn’t call anyone a name. I didn’t harass anyone. All I did was look at the event objectively and point out how every single event in that so called “miracle” was completely explainable. It didn’t matter, to them. Just one thread after another about that miracle.
Eventually the debate between the reporter and myself lead to a phone call. She explained that the family members of not only the lady that was attacked but also the surfing pastor and his family were also reading our debate. I didn’t know that. It wouldn’t have changed what I said. Well, maybe I would have been a little more sensitive with my responses, but I regret nothing. I didn’t lie about a damn thing and I certainly had done nothing to feel sorry for.
Some months later I saw an update to that story. It had turned out that the lady who had been attacked by the shark ended up dying from her wounds. I just shook my head when I read that. All those poor fools claiming it was a “miracle of God” and the reality of it was that a dumb lady went swimming in the ocean, in known to be shark infested waters and got attacked. Some very brave, surfing pastor attempted to save her and in doing so maybe gave her a few extra days of life to be lived in what I can only imaging was a lot of pain. Though, I must admit, still better than being completely consumed by a shark.
Those people who wanted to believe so much that it was all about that miracle. They will probably never know that the lady died. To them, the story ended when she was saved by that surfing pastor. For them, end of story, it was a miracle. The reality of what happened that day and in the days that followed mean nothing to them. For them it will just another story of how the good lord works in mysterious ways.
This saddens me on so many levels. It’s not ignorance, some may think it is but it’s not. It’s massive stupidity. Ignorance is simply not being aware of the facts. Stupidity, is choosing to ignore the facts because you just want to believe whatever it is that you want to believe. There’s no excuse for that all. These people are living in a fairytale world and they are holding the rest of back. These people end up voting for other crazy people that choose to ignore reality over their belief of an imaginary friend and it’s scary, it’s very, very scary.
by admin | Jan 21, 2016 | Information, Politics, Rant, Religion |
The GOP Insanity Seems To Have No End In Site…
There truly does seem to be no end insight to the GOP insanity we see today. “The GOP has become a disturbing place full of hate, fear mongering and stupidity on a level that is just staggering.” I said those words just a few seconds ago on Twitter in response to someone’s post. I am not a liberal, I have said this over and over again but I lean towards the left and I honestly don’t see a time in the near future where I will be voting for a republican candidate. Actually, as the right devolves into a dark pit of hate and blatant stupidity I don’t think I will ever again vote republican.
I don’t like to call the GOP stupid or cowardly but they have made no serious attempts to separate themselves from the literally bat shit crazy Tea Party and right wing Christian conservatives. I call them stupid and cowardly because that is in fact what the party had devolved into. Yes, stupid and cowardly. I say this because they have gone far beyond simple ignorance. Ignorance can be understood and even on a small level accepted. Ignorance implies an incorrect understanding of the facts or a lack of knowledge of them. Stupidity on the other hand is flat out ignoring the facts because a person or people simply just don’t want to accept them. The truth is out there but the GOP refuses, as a whole to accept it. And, when it comes to cowardly. We have republican leaders out there that are basically good people but are literally afraid of not only the stupid within their own constituency but also of their right wing peers. They are afraid to stand up to them, plain and simple.
Several years ago I had a debate with a republican friend on a forum. It was during a time when Bush was running for his second term. There was a lot of GOP bullshittery afoot. Rush Limbaugh was up to his normally verbal diarrhea and beating his chest with the usual hypocritical vigor. I had spoken out about the lies that President Bush was telling the people and the GOP’s consistent denial of the facts on everything thing from Global Warming to WMD’s. I had just left the republican party. I wasn’t, at this time, disgusted with the GOP but I was disappointed in them. I had voted for Bush in the first election and it took about two years before I could finally admit to myself that it was the biggest voting mistake I had ever made. I didn’t want to vote for John Kerry in the upcoming election but I wasn’t going to vote for Bush, not again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. My republican friend tried to convince me that every party has it’s crazy but the republican party doesn’t listen to them.
He truly believed that the GOP kept the Christian conservative right, in check. They pretended to listen for show but didn’t really listen. I disagreed. I explained that it might have been that way once but it isn’t any longer. The winds were changing. Bush and Cheney were already promoting hate and fear masked as patriotism. The country knew without a doubt that Bush was full of shit but when it came time to vote, ignorance and fear won the day and Bush, the worst president in modern history was re-elected.
The GOP continued to devolve as the next election came near. This time it was Obama on the ticket. Again, I had to vote for him. Not because I believed in him but he was running against Senator John McCain. There was a time when I had a great respect for McCain but after 8 years of him basically voting for everything that Bush was selling, my respect wavered. When he chose Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate the respect was gone, at least the political respect I had for him. His pandering for the women’s vote was pathetic. Though I would have accepted the pandering had he put an ounce of thought into his choice for a female running mate. It’s obvious to anyone that Sarah Palin doesn’t have the philosophical depth of a puddle let alone the brains to be the VP. I mean to call her stupid, is an insult to stupid people. Sarah Palin, in my opinion, was the key turning point. Before it was bad. After her, the level of GOP insanity began to grow in leaps and bounds.
So I voted for Obama and I was glad I did. He’s been amazing and what blows me away is the absolute level of denial the GOP has of this fact. The republicans and democrats both wanted healthcare reform. The GOP wouldn’t lift a finger to help make a better healthcare plan. Hell, Obama’s plan was very similar to Mitt Romney‘s but the GOP did everything they could to shut down Obamacare. Even now, years later these idiots are still trying to shut it down. They could have offered something? Anything? But, no. Sen. Mitch McConnell openly admitted that their only goal was to make President Obama a one term president. They did this during the most devastating recession this country had seen since the great depression. They even found fault when Obama had Osama killed. How can you even say that? The GOP insanity just keeps growing and growing.
The GOP did nothing to help the American people. Nothing! They stuck to their game plan. They promoted hate and fear though ignorance and lies. This can be seen clearly through birth of the Tea Party. If you’ve ever heard these people talk, it’s terrifying! The leaders they have chosen to believe in, without question, are either too stupid to know any better or are smart enough to know that sacred, stupid people are the easiest to control. The more hate and fear they preach under guise of patriotism, the larger groups like the Tea Party become.
Now, the GOP insanity has become accepted. Trump and Ted Cruz are leading the pack!? Trump has made the most racist, misogynistic statements, he has lied repeatedly about everything from his economic plan to something as simple as the number of people that attend his appearances. Then there’s Ted Cruz who I don’t even think can legally be president because the law very clearly states that you have to be born in the United States to be the president. Unlike the lies told about Obama through the ridiculous “birther” movement. Ted Cruz really wasn’t born here. This isn’t disputable. He openly admits that he was born in Canada. Even his own damn father is fucking crazy. Even if you ignore the fact that he used to be a fucking communist for real he Rafeal Cruz believes his son is one of the Christian anointed kings prophesied that will bring about the great transfer of wealth from the wicked to the righteous. I am not lying, there is list after list of the fucking insane things shit his dad has said.
Hell, Ted Cruz along with a few other republican candidates attended a Christian summit held by a pastor that believes gays should be put to death. Right after the pastor said that in his speech, Ted Fucking Cruz walked up on stage and shook this crazy fucks hand. Ted Cruz is right behind Trump in the polls! This is further proof of the GOP insanity that has taken control.
There is with in the GOP party an unapologetic acceptance of hate. When Trump called all Mexican immigrants rapists, there was no apology. He has continued to double down on the rhetoric, time and time again. Cruz, Jeb! all of them are flat out telling lies and promoting stupidity. All you have to do is pick any conservative publication and read the comments. They are filled with hatred, stupidity and lies. We’re talking conspiracy theories, hate speech, opinions presented as facts. These people are frightening and the only thing we can do is to vote democrat across the board. Every vote for a republican is a vote supporting hate, fear and stupidity. Because if we don’t democrat, this GOP insanity will continue for decades to come.
Below are some links used in the creation of this rant. And, as usual, don’t take my word for it. Check the facts. Research what I say and if you find fault, please let me know so that it may be corrected as soon as possible.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2016/01/21/conservative-convicted-of-trying-to-assassinate-obama-with-a-slingshot-yes-a-slingshot-screenshots/
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/anti-gay-pastor-event-hosts-3-gop-candidates-563178051820
http://aattp.org/flashback-rafael-cruz-calls-son-ted-cruz-an-anointed-king-responsible-for-the-end-time-transfer-of-wealth/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/07/the-six-craziest-quotes-from-ted-cruz-s-father-rafael-cruz.html
by admin | Jan 21, 2016 | Information, Politics, Rant |
Can We Stop Blaming The Academy For It’s Lack Of Diversity…
It’s another Academy Awards season and another year that people are screaming about the lack of Diversity in the Oscar nominations. The Academy has a lot of problems however, it’s lack of diversity isn’t one when it comes to deciding who gets nominated. I know, that’s hard to believe. I know we all want someone to blame but we need look no further than the filmmakers themselves and the studios behind them. They produce, primarily films staring white people, by the hundreds. That is the problem. We need to stop blaming the Academy when it’s not their fault.
What it comes down to is simple math. There are hundreds of movies the Academy has to choose from each year. Of those films, only a handful of them have non-white actors in them. And, of that handful of films, only a few of them have non-white leads. So when it comes time for the Academy to start sorting through the films, there’s a pretty good chance that a lot of good acting by actors of all colors including white actors are going to be unseen or ignored.
Let’s say there’s a hat with a 1000 names inside it. Those names are all the actors and directors that made movies this year. Of those names, the Academy can only pull out 15 names. Now, of those 1000 names maybe 20 of them are non-white actors and directors. What do you think the chances are that a non-white name is going to be pulled out of that hat? Stop blaming the Academy because “Hollywood” doesn’t make more movies with non-white leads. The Academy can only judge from what they’ve been handed.
If they Academy does anything in an attempt to make the Oscar’s more diverse than the whole thing becomes meaningless. That being said, as I understand it, the majority of people that make up the Academy are “old and white” as I have heard countless “liberals” scream over the past few days. I think that this is a vary valid point. I think it’s absolutely pathetic and everyone, not just liberals should be upset over this. However, the Academy could be made up of all non-whites and it wouldn’t change the diversity of the Award nomination that much. We know this is true because when nearly every single movie released is directed by a white guy and stars mainly white actors, all the results are going to be the same year after year. History has shown this to be true.
It’s easy to blame the Academy. There is so much wrong with them. The lack of diversity within its members. There is a lack of categories that we care about. When is the Academy going to recognize comedy and horror? These don’t even exist to the Academy. That’s something the Academy can change. What they can’t ever change are the movies that are released each year. They also can’t change who stars in those movies or who writes and directs them. You can blame the Academy for a lot of things but please, stop blaming the Academy for it’s lack of diversity with regard to the nominations because it’s not really their fault. Hating on the Academy for it’s lack of diversity is like hating on 2 + 2 for always equaling 4. You get out of it, what you put into it. You want different results, feed the equation new numbers.
