A Sunday Planet - January 6, 2013

AMERICAN ANGST

Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman finished off 2012 with a press release declaring that Kwanzaa is a made up holiday that liberals are shoving down America's throat to divide the country. Apparently we brought in a shiny brand new year with the same old tarnished white guys.

Speaker of the House John Boehner was reelected; barely. Tea party insanity will continue, there were even votes for Allen West, who isn't even serving in the coming term. The first vote came from my crazed representative Justin Amash, who picked Raul Labrador, the representative from Idaho. Have no clue who he is, but if my guy voted for him, he must be one tasteless fruitcake.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received the usual respect from the right. After a hospital stay to take care of a blod clot, which doctors state was possibly life threatening, our friendly compassionate conservatives decided the medical condition was fabricated. Dancing on the woes of the ill is nothing new from the right, many Americans have seen that dance in their own lives. I haven't heard an apology from that side, the party has not changed no matter how many pundits insist they must.

In fact, millions of Americans in need are being shafted by the right. No relief funds for the east coast victims of Sandy. Instead once again, a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act was voted on. Thirty three times they've wasted our time and money voting on nonsense while Americans suffer. 

The only good news I could find concerning our conservative friends was about former House Majority Leader Tom Delay getting three years in prison for money laundering. I think most conservatives should be locked up for crimes against humanity, but Americans are cowards and will not stand up to authority.

Though all Americans are being ignored by the compassionate conservatives, women are still taking the the brunt of the most atrocious inaction by the legislators still in office.

WICKED WOMEN

The Violence Against Women Act was not reauthorized by the House. Apparently the bill included protections for immigrants, the LGBT community and native Americans and our compassionate conservatives, (yes, I am enjoying these two words today), decided that some of us are not deserving of protection.

Women, you're getting dumped on early in 2013.

A site is allowing anonymous tips on women who may be prostitutes. If you're the lucky woman that some neanderthal wishes to mess with, he can post your name on this site, and for you to remove it you will have to ante up. Extortion at its best as crudeness reigns supreme.

Texas has successfully defunded Planned Parenthood. What is mind boggling is that woman haven't left the state in droves yet. Find a new doctor ladies, one that Texan men approve of; if you're allowed to leave the house that is.

Steubenville Ohio is geting a lot of attention after images and a video of a young man laughing about the rape were circulated. The young lady was carried to three different parties while passed out. Apparently it is amusing to some to rape, sodomize and urinate on a young lady. What an awesome culture we have in the U.S. Anonymous's KnightSec is gathering all the data on one site. At times we are disgusting animals. Quit pointing your fingers overseas at humans doing horrible things to other humans and look in your own backyard.

Are you feeling the hate yet ladies?

In Virginia, legislation is going into effect that will close many of the state's abortion clinics. I hear the demand for coat hangers is on the rise. Excuse that last line, but what are you waiting for?

This is how bad it is. In Texas, two ladies were pulled over for allegedly tossing a cigarette butt out the window. The officer tells the ladies he smells marijuana and wants to search the car. They let him search, no marijuana found. He then gives a sobriety test to the driver, she passes. He still decides they are druggies, so he tells them he has to search their bodies. He calls in a female trooper who dons some latex gloves and goes to work. One finger probes the rear, two the front; state troopers are your new gynecologists. 

Ladies, not only are you figuratively being stomped on, you're literally being pissed on.

EARTH ENEMIES

The gentleman who helped get lead out of our gasoline, Howard Mielke, is now looking at America's cities. Apparently lead content in the soil is high enough to be dangerous. Hey Timmy, why don't you go out and play for a while.

Another year for climate change record-breaking that will more than likely go unnoticed in the States. Drill for it, refine it, burn it; keep it going until the planet dies. On a recent drive through central Illinois I noticed the wind farms spread around the Bloomington area. Apparently it's brought in almost six billion to the local economy and is providing safe renewable energy. Oil lobbyists will continue to pay off conservatives to stop us from progressing into fossil fuel independence. So compassionate.

The desire to ignore the destruction of our planet continues. The NOAA has decided to not investigate the wildly underestimated BP oil spill. Keep those blinders on America.

A twisted Farm Bill was extended by congress. The usual planet destroying moves by our compassionate conservatives is so commonplace as to be expected. Five billion in subsidies to industrial farms for corn, soy and wheat while organics, beginning farmers, locally grown food and conservation efforts were decimated. Though I understand the need for production, I'm not sure that should trump any attempts to create sustainable farming methods. 

Mountain top removal in the Appalachians is being linked to American illness. The easy access to coal continues even though 21 peer-reviewed scientific studies have confirmed what we already suspected; besides over 500 permanently destroyed mountains, if you live in the area you can expect a shorter lifespan than the rest of the country. 50% more odds of dying of cancer and 42% more likely birth defects than those who live in other parts of the Appalachians. The refrain is getting boring, but fossil fuels kill.

GUN GROUPIES

In New Hampshire, House of Representatives conservatives were outraged that they can not carry a concealed gun into the chamber. What the heck is wrong with these people? This is not the wild west. Basically the argument these fine gentlemen made was that credit cards and pens were just as dangerous as that Glock under your coat.

Keep on killing Americans, it's what you do best.

MEDIA MADNESS

Our less evolved friends at FOX have climbed another rung in their goal to reach heretofore unknown heights of ridiculousness. The bastion of hate and irrelevance continues to annoy. I don't think people realize how odd they really are. Their latest war is on yoga and those crazed yoga nazis. The wussification of American is continuing, in their eyes, by allowing children to do yoga. 

Yeah, sit the little monkeys on a couch with a bag of Cheetos in one hand and a game controller in the other. War games for all, kill kill kill.

FINAL FIX

I was updating my blog yesterday, (have been ignoring it for a few months), and noticed I actually had a reply to one! 

Come on now, give me some of that loving:

Explain to me what happens after we croak AND our body rots in the grave, turning into Riga Mortizzze? Can't, can you? Very good. I'll do the explain'n. Our soul's indelible (never dying, eternal, living-after-death), thus, they rise to be Divinely Judged. Git the picture?? Whetha you wanna believe me or not is fine, yet, that's the axiomatic fact. Here's what I'd do. Go to your local Catholic choich and enroll in the RCIA; should be over within 9 months, long enough to have a spiritual 'baby' on your hands --- If God doesn’t exist, why do you hate Him so much? If God does exist, why don’t you follow us Home to Heaven Above if you‘re gonna croak as I am? How long do we have to enjoy this finite existence? 77ish, measly years? Compared to the length and breadth of eternity, 77ish years is like the micron of a nanometer in the whole, bloody, universe; thus, our soul’s eternal whether you wanna believe in us or not. So, why don’t we have a BIG-ol, roxx-our-holy-soxx, party-hardy celebrating our resurrection for many eons? Heaven TOTALLY kicks-ass for eternity. Thank you proFUSEly, for the wick is running out on U.S. _thewarningsecondcoming.com_

Thank you so much. When the theists find you you've finally arrived.

BUILDING BLOCKS

In the mind of a theist, god created everything. According to the christian right, he created the earth, water and air; apparently for us to destroy. Burning fossil fuels, poisoning your food, willfully torturing our cousins; you name it, they will ravage it all. This is not my imagination, it is vocalized constantly when I'm chatting with my conservative friends. When an industry pollutes the environment, they gleefully say "that's freedom!" A mindset that spells ruin for the many. Many conservative christians believe that capitalism is the freedom to destroy you and yours.

"The hand of god scooped up some dirt
desiring pain and agony
with our futures he would flirt
creating flawed man for sinning
some were delighted
some were dismayed
some decided to fight it
some the fantasy swayed"

God is perfection and has a plan for all, unfortunately that means agony and torture for the many. Yet he is the designer of all things that grow, and all things that change. He is the mover of planets and stars, he is the origin of all that is right. He created you then gave you free will, punishing you for not knowing the difference between right and wrong; making sure he had plenty of souls to torment. His intelligence is weak, no science to be found. Magic is what rules his world.

"A story for cretins, fairy tales for infants
a blueprint for destruction a plan for man
a vision for the future created in an instant
a vision for death the only plan
blind eyes see nothing
deaf ears hear nothing
a mute tongue says nothing
a closed mind is nothing"

Revel in reality. Embrace this life, for we know there is no other. Aware of the odds that put us on this planet, but not owing that life to any master. No slavery comes from science, only from myth. Put me on that underground railroad and set my mind free. I need nothing from the mystics, nothing from the oracles, nothing from the mediums, nothing from the slaves of god.

"Worries about a next life ruining your only life
hell and damnation awaits those who live
punishment is cruel, just ask Lot's wife
your life is the lord's and he expects you to give
give him your work, your earnings, your mind
give him the blood he dearly craves
give him allegiance that only the blind
give in futility and carry to the grave"

Spaceships rocket into space, jets fly across the planet, buildings rise, doctors heal, mathematics explain life, life sciences map out our history, morality we embrace to survive; all done without a god.

"Why worry the thought open your eyes
to the joy of a living planet
no time to waste hoping for a prize
the future is not chiseled in granite
the planet spins without fool's spells
the planet evolves if we don't kill
the planet will survive without hell
the planet we should enjoy never getting our fill"

In the beginning there was a beginning. Hundreds of millions of years for life to form. No magic no spells, only the steadily forward motion of life. God didn't create it, the ingredients for life exist everywhere. God didn't create it, the slow hands of time encouraged it. God didn't build it, only perverted the morals of man. God didn't build it, science observes the reality. God didn't build it, his mind is small, his morals corrupt, his commands atrocious. God didn't give you the right to wreck a planet, you use him to justify your greed.

God didn't build it, we did. Take responsibility

GOD'S GREATEST

A lovely lesbian couple, who are friends of my wife, have been partners for many years. They are the kind of friends who are always ready to lend a hand, a shoulder or even a vehicle. They have two children who were adopted by one of the ladies, since the laws in Michigan frown on same sex couples adopting children. One of the ladies became ill a few years back, and was saved by the other donating a kidney. For those of us who have escaped the false morals of religion, this would be an act of love. For those who are still trapped in one of the holy books, this relationship has been blessed by Satan. Ignorance runs amok.

Religious leaders appear to think that humanity's morality rests on a single debate; how does humankind determine what is right and what is wrong? They deride any thinking that science should have any input. Studies that state sexual orientations are predicated at birth are not to be pondered. Genetic orientation is a fable; as if a theist could actually identify fables.

In the beginning, if you're a fundamental theist, god's command was to be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. If you are unable to procreate, you are in opposition to god's command. You must subdue the earth; which apparently many theists interpret as an endless bounty to command and consume, as they willfully destroy the planet. 

If you have ever wondered why fundamentalists affirm that the earth is young, it is easy to understand that by being unrelenting in that belief, you shut out science. You shut out the thought that morals developed as a way for man to survive and multiply; you'd rather pretend that morals were set first and man survived because he followed them. 

Back to reality.

Most everyone at every age has experienced love. It is one of the strongest emotions we all share, and happily, the one emotion that has separated many a follower from their god. 



So here we have a same sex couple who feel the same love as heterosexual couples. We recognize it in their actions. They know the same fear of loss that we do, the same growing nausea that the thought of losing our partner may bring. They share the same soft, warm kisses that we do. They hear the same melody; deep yet bright, strong even in a whisper, a slowly building crescendo that climaxes with the next touch. Their heart skips a beat just like ours at the sight of a loved one.



Those of reason see what many theists apparently do not; the similarities of our love. Some close their eyes and refuse to reason. For the willfully ignorant, those who love people of the same gender are doomed to fiery pits of hell. Eternal suffering for those who do not use a book of fables as their moral guidance. The devil and his demons should dance with glee at your pain; in their minds it is deserved.



There should be no respect given to theists who think that love, charity, respect; or greed, lust and envy, are anything more than the nature of man. Theists rebel against any science that confirms our social tendencies to be evolutionary in nature. Rebelling against the notion that humankind's perception of good can change as our understanding of the world evolves. Theirs is a static world of ignorance, a never changing view of life that denigrates any actions of human civility not condoned by the book of lies.



I could feel sorry for the theists who are trapped in a world bereft of reason, a world lacking in compassion for all the variety of life, but it is of their own choosing. Possibly it's an evolutionary trait that is no longer needed, and I should feel sorry for those last remnants of an animal whose world is based on fear and punishment, but I will not. Coddling fools might slow down the end of their extinction, but I'd rather let nature take its course.



Knowing a person's, or even a people's, history, makes it much harder to despise or hate that person or group. It showcases a problem that so many Americans indulge in; ignorance. To believe in myths and stories that identify groups as evil is the ultimate in willful ignorance, they shut their eyes to truth to protect that ignorance that comes hand in hand with their beliefs. We can never be free to live our lives as we wish as long as theists are in charge. They believe they are free, not understanding that, (paraphrased) you cannot be ignorant and free.

GIFTING GHOULS

Like lovers in heat, merchants and consumers have a hot romance. Garbage dumps piling high with useless gifts that amuse for a day or a week or if lucky; a month. All year merchants highlight the better mouse trap. The newest, needed gadget is waiting for you. Whispering in your ear sweet enchantments that make you flush, make you gasp, make you want and want. More please, I need more. A commercial break from your favorite entertainment, and there it is. Awkward clumsy idiots spill and dirty the home. Inhabitants of those homes hurt themselves daily on the old and useless products of yesterday that the shiny new plastic upgrades will fix, for a time.

Polluting a planet and wasting resources, our love affair with consumption is sick.

A gentleman on the television jams a cotton swab into his ear far enough to swab his temporal lobes. He cries out in pain as a doctor explains you shouldn't do that. Brilliant. A woman cooks up a pot of pasta and as she drains it into a colander she clumsily dumps it all over as water splashes up burning her. The pasta ends up everywhere but where it belongs. Even the simple chore of flipping a pancake is a seemingly unattainable goal for the masses.

Then the seduction begins. No need for a cotton swab, get a little vacuum to clean up those ears. Blood starts to run, body heats up and senses heighten. No problem with pasta, get a pot with a strainer built in to the lid. Ooh, ah, fireworks light burning blue and red before your eyes. Make your pancakes in a pan that looks like a waffle maker, no flipping mess ever again!

Colors burning to intense white, I need it now!

So close, so close, but more is needed. Still unfulfilled, confusion reigns.

But then surprise, your lover gently strokes your back and a quick reach around flips your switch; two for the price of one! Yes. Two fine ear vacuums for ten bucks. A five dollar machine to vacuum the shit you call brains out of your ears. Nothing more than $19.95 and again, act now and get two. The call is made, and when the order has been placed, you set down the phone, body spent.

I guess it could be worse. You could end up with a Potty Putter; sitting on the john until you have a permanent ring on your ass. Maybe an energy bracelet that not only doesn't do anything, but looks pretty silly as well. Maybe The Happy Hot Dog Man phallic hot dog cutter and decorator will make your day.

After a little rest a new day comes, and with that maybe you will as well.

We spend millions on seasonal gifts that will last only as long as the attention span of the recipient. It will end up as a new ski resort after the mountain of trash is covered. We pollute the planet manufacturing nonsense, shipping the nonsense across oceans and expansive skies. Trucking to local cities and towns for a climax that lasts maybe seconds.

Happy Holidays earth, we left you a burning lump of coal once again.

CONCEAL CARRY AND KILL

If you're heading out to catch the new movie at a theater, if you're headed to work, if your child attends school; death apparently might be an end result. Shopping malls, military bases; nowhere is safe. The problem doesn't reside in only large cities, today's shooting at Newtown, Connecticut proves this. Twenty children dead. The horror is unfathomable. The thought of parents being notified that their young child is deceased unimaginable. Twenty gone in a flash, twenty that will never have the chance to experience all life has to give.

Twenty children.

Six adults lost their lives as well, more than likely trying to protect the children. Either heroes protecting their charges, or shot down running for their lives, it makes no difference. We will call them heroes because that's how we disguise the violence that is American society.

Unspeakable acts of violence we Americans commit. The NRA is possibly one of the strongest lobbying groups in the country and we already know what their response will be. They state there will be no response until all the facts have been gathered, but it's always the same; we need more guns. The NRA is run by a group that must be afraid to shop, eat out or watch a movie without a gun. Why else would they promote this insanity? Cowards. They say if someone involved in a mass killing had a gun they could have protected the innocent. Lying bastards. How would someone carrying a gun help? They'd have to have a gun in their lap, a bullet chambered and the safety off to be quick enough to stop death. If you feel the need to be armed in public, then there is something wrong with you, and that wrongness is permeating and destroying our society.

There seems to be no end in sight. No stricter guns laws will be legislated. The democrats have given up on this issue because of the unexplainable popularity of owning weapons with the American public. 

In 2011 81% of gun owners in a bipartisan poll said they support background checks for all gun sales. Yet the NRA keeps this from happening. After the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, an undercover team went to a gun show in Arizona to see how easy it was to buy arms. What they found out was that no background check was needed, they purchased a Glock 9 millimeter and two high capacity magazines in minutes. Similar to the weapon used on Giffords. Not only was it easy to purchase, but it was sold to the undercover investigator after he told the arms dealer that he probably couldn't pass a background check.

MSNBC did an investigation on the ease of purchasing a gun as well. They looked at all the guns being sold online. They set up meetings with the owners of guns to sell in popular mall parking lots. Within 12 hours they purchased 8 guns, no background search needed; even after hinting that the buyer was a criminal. They managed to buy a 50-caliber weapon that could take down a helicopter, no questions asked.

But everything is cool. In fact, conservatives have decided that the more guns in schools, the better for all.

In Michigan, where conservative lawmakers have been on the move to pass legislation that we the people hate before their lame duck session is over, the carry and conceal laws were updated yesterday. If Governor Snyder signs the bill, there will be no safe havens in the state. The bill opens up designated "gun free zones." In my state of crazy conservative rule, you will be able to conceal and carry a weapon in schools, in churches and in large entertainment venues. Plus, it speeds up the process of getting those weapons. I dislike homeschooling, but screw this. Want to go watch the Lions play the Bears? Grab a gun and head to Ford Field, if the Bears are winning I guess you can shoot the quarterback.

Excuse the language but it can not be helped, these bastards are destroying American society.

Forty nine states currently have carry and conceal laws, with Illinois probably joining the rest soon. Anyone you see on the street could be armed. Anyone that you see could have experienced a recent traumatic experience. Any person can pull out a weapon and start shooting. Looking with distrust at every human you see will be great for our social interactions.

We never think about this until another tragedy hits. After a few weeks, everything will be what we have deemed, the norm. Normal for most of us, except for those who have lost a loved one.

SUBTLE SLAMS

It may not be a full frontal assault yet, but you are under attack. It may not even be a conscious decision by your theist family and friends, but there is a whispered conversation taking place. A conversation that excludes and demeans your thoughts.

Take for example the following: 

This week I am the bad guy. Actually, at this time of year, I'm the bad guy every fucking day. I get tired of religious bullshit assaulting my senses daily and am prone to take a stand. A portion of my family is in an uproar, I am persona non-gratis. Tempers have flared, verbal smack downs have been issued. The glove has been dropped by loved ones now lost, oh ye of little faith. The steps are being walked, the pistols loaded; death to anyone who would dare to offer an opinion that conflicts with this country's glamorous addiction to religion.

Some have to take themselves seriously, since anyone who opens their eyes once in awhile will not participate. At times, drama is all there is for the willfully ignorant.

A family member posted an image that she thought was honoring veterans. I looked at it and decided it slammed atheists that served in the military, so I left a comment. Always the same; we can to a certain point joke and tease, learn and teach, unless fantasy is the subject. I was lambasted for deciphering the anti-atheist code.

Now that we are firmly entrenched as a warrior country, when something pertaining to the military is discussed, we're supposed to jump up and salute. Americans are in a jam, hating war yet afraid to denigrate the soldier. The Vietnam backlash is so ingrained in our culture, that clarifying a thought about patriotism is not only unwanted, but an affront to all. Minds that babble bullshit will not be corrected; ever.

To frame the discussion properly, I do
have Vietnam vets in the family. I've heard the horror stories of their time in Vietnam and I know how they were treated when they returned. It is not their fault that our government went to war.

The person(s) that are upset with me are one of those vet's offspring. They post fairly constant memes that honor vets since they are proud of their father's service. Not a problem. Though I do not agree with the warrior culture, I understand. I have great respect for the gentleman, even though I disagree with almost everything that he says. Conservative christian of the Limbaugh type; you can smell the hate that oozes out of his enraged pores when he gets worked up about those traitorous liberals, and amusingly, any conservative that would work with them. He is the poster boy for the Tea Party, it's my way or the highway.

We don't talk politics, pretty much pointless.

Being a white male in a country that continually finds a part of the populace to oppress, the atheist putdowns catch me by surprise. Not the in your face slams, I can handle confrontations, but the sneaky little messages that are spread around by an unknowing or uncaring populace are starting to aggravate. I understand the message even if they don't.

My horrible comment on the cartoon in question was very relaxed. I only made the point that whether correct or not, some people find the pledge of allegiance to be a separation of church and state issue. Nothing more. Didn't get excited, it is after all, family. After my comment I was verbally smacked down for my audacity to start a conversation. I could tell that I had grievously offended the family member in question, so I removed my comment and apologized. I thought possibly the longwinded bitching by someone who doesn't understand how social networks operate would disappear, but it didn't. After a day or so I removed my apology as well; kiss my ass. Go ahead, post another atheist slam and see where it gets you.

Tis the season of course. I open up an email yesterday from another family member, who is closely related to the conservative faction of the family, that contains fantasy. Father from heaven coming down and saving their children nonsense. Of course, cannot ignore. I take it easy and replied, "look at this, a fairy tale in my mailbox." Nothing too dramatic.

I was informed that the email was intended for my wife. Guess they are still hoping she can be turned back to the nonsense.

My point is that as atheists, we are continually slammed by the theist community. They see absolutely nothing wrong in promoting their religion; in fact it's their right to brainwash the world. But don't dare promote reality since for a theist, reality is not only abhorrent, but is also a dire insult.

Now I'm not in any way comparing atheists and atheism to the denigration of those not white, or those that prefer their own gender as mates, or even the battles that women still are fighting; not yet anyway. Atheism, though targeted by the religious, hasn't seemed to be a problem that directly effects how this guy lives; but it's coming. It's been coming since the religious right took over conservative politics, and soon we will be the hot topic.

The battles that groups have had to wage to be included in American society will be our battles. You think atheism is frowned upon now, wait until the national debate centers around us as it has on women's rights, or any other battle for equal rights. Whenever one battle is won in the equal rights arena, another one will rise. It's coming to a town near you soon. We've been quiet and unobtrusive like other groups in the past. Everyone has been ignoring us. Now with the dawn of in your face atheism, I think that public attention is turning our way. It has always been there, but wait until you are the national topic.

It will be great fun.