Political Attack

Now normally, I do not post political ramblings.  There is enough of that on Facebook to make me want to rip the remaining hairs out of my head.  However, an event happened that made me change my mind (at least this week).

On June 14th, 2017, a gunman opened fire on several Republican members of Congress as they were practicing for a charity baseball game against Democrats.  4 people (5 counting the gunman) were shot during the practice.  2 people were listed in critical condition, 2 people were treated and released, and the gunman was killed.

The gunman was a contractor who had his business shut down because he caused more damage to the properties he was supposed to be inspecting.  He had been living out of his van in the Alexandria, VA, area for months before he opened fire that fateful day.

He had a bitter dislike towards the Republicans.

Now, the tough part of this.  I am not looking to get into a political debate because people like what they like, and they believe what they believe.  I'm not looking to try to "prove anyone wrong" because ultimately it is a waste of time, and a cause of lost friendships for no reason, whatsoever.

But one thing CAN be agreed on.  Violence is not the answer.  If you believe that violence is going to solve the problems in Washington, than maybe YOU need to be investigated, just in case, you plan on committing acts like this yourself.

Mr. Hodgkinson had a list of Congressmen he wanted to target.  His motive was unclear at this moment.  If he wanted to get the "old-timers" out of Congress, he didn't succeed.  If he did it as a Democratic loyalist, he failed that too, because all he did there was make Democrats look worse.

The thing that needs to be remembered is that he acted on his own accord.  He didn't meet with a bunch of Democrats and plan an assassination.  This was a mentally disturbed individual who committed these crimes.  And Democrats and Republicans participated in unity afterwards.  The shooter didn't accomplish anything.

For people who want to get the old-timers out of Congress, you have that power.  It is called elections.  While people do not vote for the President directly, they DO vote for the members of Congress at every election.  If you want a change in Congress, then vote for that change.  Otherwise, you are just the minority.  Killing people is not the answer.

And IF you are one of the sad, pathetic people who believes that murdering senior members of Congress is the answer, then newsflash.  It isn't.  The repercussions are far worse than what you think.  Because senior members of Congress were attacked, there will now be more motivation for gun control legislation.  This now hits home for Congress.  They are going to be more determined than ever.  And in the end, Congress isn't really more unified.  A lot of those Congressmen have been there a while, and are good friends, despite their disagreements.  People need to practice the same level of friendship.  That while we may differ on things, politically, we can still be friends, and we can still get along.

Any one who believes that someone needs to die because of their beliefs is part of the problem in this country right now.  If questioned about my political beliefs, I will share them.  You can tell me yours, and I'll respect yours, even if I don't agree.  That is part of what makes freedom so great.  But believing that violence is the answer is what is going to tear this country apart.  VIOLENCE NEEDS TO END!!!  That is one thing that NEEDS to be agreed on.  Republicans and Democrats alike don't want violence.  So, knock it off.  Act your age.  People are acting like babies throwing temper tantrums, and using weapons instead of words.

Post your opinions.  What do you think?  Do you think violence needs to end?  Will you be part of the solution?  Share this post if you agree.  Spread the word.  Love your neighbor, even if you don't agree with him/her.  You don't have to agree, but you have the freedom not to.  Do not eliminate your freedom by trying to eliminate someone else's.

Thanks for reading.

2 Type rite is Gud

One of the biggest pet peeves I've encountered is bad typing.  This is something that annoys me to no end.  This is more than just a trend that shows up in countless comment sections of social media posts.  This shows up everywhere.

The biggest issue is, it is deliberate.  I can mind the minor accidental misspelling or the occasionally missed punctuation marks.  However, this is becoming a permanent fixture.

But why is it being done?

Typically, when I read a post that is full of misspellings, missed punctuation, and nonsensical words, I find myself questioning the integrity of the person posting.  Memes have become a staple of sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc.  They annoy me as well, but I have to accept them.

Twitter is kind of an exception on this, and may earn a free pass for bad spelling.  When you are given a character limit, you have to try to make every character count.  So, using "u" for "you" or "4" instead of "for" tends to be more acceptable.  However, on a site like Facebook, where there isn't a character limit, it is kind of annoying.

Half of the time, I have to translate this shorthand typing into something that I can process as intelligible thought.  Even then, the lack of proper grammar makes me question whether their thoughts can be considered "intelligible thought."

Employers do use Facebook and other social media sites to learn more about potential employees.  Employers want to learn more about who they have working for them.  If the person gives this great resume to their employer, and them employer canvasses their Facebook, they might find details that might make them second guess hiring that person.

We are now in the technological age.  One of the things that happens less and less is hand-written notes.  It is much easier to type and edit your thoughts through a keyboard then it is to grab a paper and pencil and actually just write out your note.  I tend to type faster than I write, so I would agree with this wholeheartedly.  However, I tend to try to type things out grammatically correct, and try to use proper punctuation.  As I write less than I used to, the only way to really tell people about me, is to type it out.  Doing so in an intelligible manner becomes more important for me.

The worst offenders of this are memes themselves.  Memes can become very popular and widespread in a short amount of time.  Memes that have improper grammar and horrible spelling send a message to other people encouraging the use of broken language.  Eventually things like spelling and grammar will become obsolete in the next generation.  This is a problem especially when communication is so important.  It is important for the recipient to understand and fully comprehend the context of the message the sender is trying to convey.  Memes turn this problem into a widespread epidemic that must be cured.

So, for the sake of the future of communication, please try to type intelligently.  Show the world just how smart you are.  Show the world the knowledge that you possess.

What are your thoughts?  Where do you think the future of communication is headed?  Do you think that broken language will eventually translate to broken speech too?  Let me know in the comments [in an intelligent manner].  :)

Off With His Head!!!

Kathy, Kathy, Kathy...

What did you do wrong???

Yes, for the most part, we have all heard about this disembodied head that Kathy Griffin took to a photoshoot.  And what a mess it made.  This picture cost her sponsorships, her job at CNN doing New Year's Eve hosting, and respect from a lot of former fans.

People said that the head was gross, gory, and offensive.

I agree with people's sentiments.  It was gross, gory, and offensive.  But people shouldn't be getting so worked up about it.  Kathy Griffin is a comedian.  Jokes can be in poor taste, and while people may be offended by the joke, it is still just a joke.

There are a lot of comedians who tell jokes that can be perceived in poor taste, but it doesn't hurt the career of the comedian.  In fact, a lot of the raunchier, more offensive comedians actually make the bulk of their career earnings, by being offensive.

Now, did she go too far?  To be honest, yes she did.

But we are living in a society where sneezing the wrong way will get you bitched at by someone.  Everything is offensive.  President Trump was picked to be president, mainly because he promised to not be PC.  He wanted to push the limits and get away from the PC world we were getting into.  Now, everyone gets offended by everything, and it is disgusting in a way.

Perhaps, Kathy Griffin was doing the same thing?  She was "pushing the envelope" and seeing what she could get away with.  She did go too far.  But nowadays, it doesn't take much to go too far.

"South Park" had an episode called "Cartoon Wars" where Cartman hated the show "Family Guy."  He hated it so much, that he actually went to sabotage the show by putting something into the script that would make the show so offensive, that an episode of the show would be banned.  His logic was this, "As soon as a show has to pull an episode from the air, it starts a domino effect that causes the show to have to pull more and more episodes until the show is inevitably canceled."  It is actually pretty sound logic.

This logic applies to comedians as well.  If a comedian has to apologize for going too far, that could be the end of the line for that comedian's career.  Let's look back to Michael Richards.  He went to far and yelled racist remarks at a heckler at a comedy club.  His career was OVER.  He had to issue a public apology, and his career came to a screeching halt.

The same thing could happen as a result of this.  Comedians shouldn't be required to apologize.  Any time a comedian puts themselves into a situation where they HAVE to apologize, it tends to end badly.  Kathy Griffin put herself into a situation where she felt she should have had to apologize.

But wasn't the point to be "unapologetic."  What comedy needs right now are comedians willing to "push the boundaries" and to not be PC.  Her photoshoot was a reflection of who she is:  cynical, deliberate, and unabashed.  In fact, I kind of liked the photoshoot picture because it was honest with how she felt.  It was purposeful.

And yes, CNN had a right to pull her job.  Her sponsors had a right to drop her from their company.  Freedom of speech does not grant you freedom of employment.  The companies had a right to drop her for her expressing her point of view.  But that isn't anything new either.

But, in my opinion, she went wrong when she apologized.  She shouldn't have been ashamed by the picture.  She perfectly stated her point of view with that picture.  It was everything it needed to be for her.  I applauded that, despite the trouble it would have caused her.  But as a comedian, she shouldn't have apologized for it.  She should have stood behind the image.  It stated what she wanted to stay, and apologizing for that makes her weaker for it.  No longer will she seem to be the same deliberate comedian that took the picture.

What are your view points on this? Do you think she was right to apologize?  Do you think our country is becoming to PC?  Were you offended by the picture?  Give me your point of view!!!  Thanks for reading.

Grow Down

One of the things I've noticed in my advancing years is that no one acts their age any more.  Most adults would say that they have an inner child, just waiting to get out and play.  A lot of us will from time to time, act childish.  We may play jokes, pranks, and run around and have fun.  There are people in their 50s, 60s, and even older who still from time to time, slip back into acting a little childish.

And why not?  It is fun, carefree, and in a way refreshing to get away from the monotony of adult life.  A lot of people post about how they "don't want to adult today."  They want to be able to go back to the days of being a child, with no bills, no responsibility, just having fun on a nice summer day.

But unfortunately, there's a group of people who don't want to be kids....  Who are they?  Why, the answer is so obvious.

Kids.

That's right.  Kids do not want to be kids.  Perhaps it is all they know and they find it boring.  Perhaps they want the responsibility.  Perhaps they just want to be treated like adults, but still have the fun of being a child.

Don't we all.

Yes, I will admit, I have an inner child, and it is very much at play a lot more than what would be considered "normal."  I play video games, watch cartoons, and still like to have childish fun at the expense of others. [Sorry honey, but you knew this when you signed the wedding certificate. :p] But I am also very much an adult.  I go to work, I earn money, and contribute to the bills every month.  And I will say, I would find it extremely demeaning to be treated like a kid.

Perhaps kids feel it is demeaning to be treated like a kid as well.  But kids do not understand what "being an adult" is all about.  They haven't experienced adulthood, and therefore they aren't entirely sure what that all entails.  They don't understand that you have to earn money, pay bills, take care of kids, etc.  

Yet, kids want to be treated like adults.  They want to be out as late as they want (something adults don't even do as we have to go to work the next day), go joyriding in the vehicle (something adults have to put their hard earned money into to pay for the gas), have children (something adults regret doing some days when kids are being especially difficult), etc.

The biggest lesson here is: there is no perfect middle ground.  Not even in adults.  If an adult doesn't be an adult, then they aren't treated like an adult.  It's typically considered bad if an able-bodied, 30+ year old adult spends his life playing video games, watching TV, reading comics, surfing the internet, and still living with mom and dad instead of making money and being an adult.  It is just as bad if a 13 year old kid is working a job because he is expected to "grow up."

We shouldn't be telling people to "grow up."  While it is fun for an adult to escape to a simpler time and be a kid every so often, we shouldn't be encourage kids to be adults either.  Kids should be able to embrace their childhood, because time can not be rewound.  Kids should be allowed to be kids.  They also need to remember that there is no "middle ground."  There is no being treated like an adult while not having the responsibilities tied into it.  The respect of an adult is earned by what you do to be an adult.  If you have your own place to live, pay your own bills, cook your own meals, all with minimal to no help from your parents, THEN you are an adult.  Then you should be treated as such (even though some parents still treat their kids as kids [demeaning, I know]).

And for us adults, remember the phrase "age is just a number."  You are as old as you tell yourself you are.  You are as old as you feel.  I fully encourage everyone who is sick of being an adult, to just be a kid every once in a while.  Just don't forget to come back to adulthood when it is time for you to be responsible yet again.

Let me ask a question.  How old are you?  How old do you feel?  If you are someone who is always stressed and burned out from adulthood, take a day to be 10 or so.  Take a day to be a child.  If you have children of your own, this is a perfect bonding opportunity.  As always, thanks for reading!!

Sex offenders... who are the victims?

There has been a lot going on in the news with regards to child pornography.  It is definitely on the rise.  Just in the last 2 weeks, there have been at least 2 cases happen locally to me.  This definitely seems higher than it used to be, when this was a thing that was rarely ever discussed.  Now, it is unfortunately, a reality, and to top it off, a lot of pedophiles feel that THEY are the victim because of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) and mandatory minimum sentences.  There are people who justify hebephilia (attraction to pubescent kids) because it is a natural instinct (as it is in nature when as soon as animals are able to reproduce, they do for survival).

Now, the real question is?  Are these people right?  Are they the victims of nature?

First of all, I will admit that I type this with a certain degree of bias.  I hate anyone who victimizes a child in any way, shape, or form.  I have a strong dislike towards people who abuse children, because I feel children are innocent and their whole lives become negatively affected by abuse sustained on them.  As I was a victim of child abuse (physical and mental), I can tell you that I was permanently affected by it.  Having never been sexually abused, I can not say that "I've been there," or that "I know what that is like," but I can say that abuse has long lasting effects that can potentially last a life time to get over.

So, I will always lean towards the victim being the child.

Now, let's get to the bottom of why sex offenders feel they are the victims.  The sex offender registry was created to notify people when sex offenders are moving next to them.  It is also there to notify potential homeowners of how many sex offenders live in their future neighborhood.  The sex offender registry was created to inform people for the safety of their children.  That's pretty much it.  Any use of that list beyond that purpose is actually considered a felony.

But people out there have used the list for more nefarious purposes.  They have done things like committing acts of violence against sex offenders, harassing them relentlessly, vandalizing their property, and killing them.  These people believe that they are making the world a better place by doing this.  This is debatable, as I feel people who commit heinous crimes against children, should meet the capital punishment system.

Some of the offenses don't even seem that severe (for instance, a 15 and a 17 year old dating and then the 17 year old turns 18 and is suddenly a sex offender because the 15 year old's parents do not approve).  There have been people who falsely have had people arrested just because they had a disagreement and falsely claimed their kids have been molested.  These are people who get tied into the sex offender registry as well, and they are demonized for it.

There are a lot of people who believe that hebephilia is normal, and it is natural.  It was going to be categorized as a DSM-V mental illness, and there was an uproar about it.  They argued that being attracted to pubescent kids is "normal, and natural."  To an extent, I can see their point of view: from a strictly biological standpoint.  People younger than the age of 20, tend to be the most fertile, and have higher levels of hormones.  In the wild, animals mate as soon as they are able.  So, it may seem like a natural instinct to be attracted to younger people.  However, as human beings, we are more sophisticated (at least we should be).  We have emotions, we have feelings.  We are not "wild" or "feral" creatures.  We have a complex social structure.  We, as humans, generally understand that kids do not fully understand the consequences of their actions.  Adolescents do not fully comprehend the extent of their actions when they consent, or when they are abused.  Full brain development doesn't stop until 30.  The younger they are, the less they understand the consequences of their actions.  The younger they are, the less they understand that having sex has long term emotional consequences beyond the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.  They don't understand what it means to have innocence and then not have it any more.  They don't understand that the way they feel about themselves changes when they give up their innocence.

Victims of abuse, do not understand this because they aren't developed enough to do so.  Just imagine what this means for the victim of child rape, who at the age of 2-3 was victimized, photographed, and raped for the pleasure of a disgraced Fire Chief and other perverts out there.  This is a child whose innocence was taken away at such a young age, she will NEVER have innocence.  It is actually remarkable how young people can remember things like this.  This is a girl whose life is PERMANENTLY affected by this.  She may have a normal childhood... but this is permanent.

So, who are the victims???  While most sex offenders typically feel they are the victims due to the sex offender registry, I really have to disagree.  A sex offender may have ruined his/her life in the process, but he/she ruined the life of someone else as well.  That sex offender ruined the innocence of a child.  A child who is learning at a vastly accelerated rate to an older person due to brain development.  This is a person, who is learning at a young age, the horrors of humanity.  A person who should be learning about math, science, and how to enjoy life, is learning about monsters with cameras and perverted intentions.

The victims of abuse are ALWAYS the children.

What are your opinions on this hot topic?  Do you agree, disagree?  As always, feel free to comment with your opinion.

RIP Firefox

For probably the last 10 years or so, I have been a faithful devotee to Mozilla Firefox.  I can remember when I made the decision to switch to Firefox.

Internet Explorer did not have the support to add add-ons.  It was a basic Internet, that at the time, worked for most things.  I was going to college and I started to notice that some of the webpages on the school's servers (including D2L services) did not support Internet Explorer.  It was at this time, that I happily quit Internet Explorer (pfft didn't even have add-ons, like c'mon).

I loved Mozilla Firefox for many years, and I never thought I would abandon it.  But then recently, I started having those similar problems like before... websites would fail to function, specifically Dominos.  Yeah, I couldn't order Dominos because the website wouldn't let me log in.  Turned out the culprit... was Firefox.

Yes, a web browser that I have loved for over 10 years has betrayed me, with impunity.  How dare it deny me my pizza!!!!! Curse you to HELL!!!!

But... I love Mozilla Firefox for so long.  This is almost a grieving process that I must go through, when I bit adieu to Firefox.  I am, in a sense, releasing the casket of Firefox past into space.

But... but... but.... we had some good times, old pal.  I will miss you.  But for now...

I've switched to Chrome.

I think it is for the best that we retire Mozilla Firefox.  They have failed to live up to my expectations when I want a good browsing experience.  I am getting sick and tired of having my browser sporadically lock up on me because it decides it wants to go non-responding.  I am tired of being forced to order pizza on Firefox's inconvenient schedule.

This is truly a sad day... :( :( :( But hopefully the future continues to look brighter.  And who knows?  Maybe those folks at Mozilla will get it together and provide me the browsing experience I deserve to have.  (Doubtful, but I'll be optimistic.)

Any comments?  What is your favorite Internet Browser?  Feel free to comment below, or on Facebook.  Thanks for reading.

Why do I blog? [AKA Why bother?]

A thought has been crossing my mind as of late.  Why do I blog?  What is the purpose of this little social "experiment?"  Is it to entertain?  Is it to generate all sorts of revenue?  Is it to become a household name, and the topic of several table top discussions?  Or perhaps... it is just to be relevant?

The answer to all of those questions is "No."(for the most part, as I do try to be somewhat entertaining in normal conversation).  I know that I frequently ask for people's opinions on things as to get some sort of feedback.  I usually get none.  In fact, the only feedback I get is from my wife.  Am I angry about it?  No.  Because none of those reasons are things I really care about.

Blogging in this atmosphere to a lot of people would seem like they are carrying on "one-sided conversations" where they are talking, but no one is listening.  However, I do see that I get a lot of readers (in fact, I am usually impressed by a meager 30-40 viewer reads from any one of my blog posts.  It isn't a high number, no, but it at least means I do have an audience. 

But it isn't the "one-sided conversation" that it seems to be.  My blogging is a means for me to rant about the things that sometimes keep me up at night.  It is a form of therapy for me.  I have a tendency to stay awake as my mind continues to rant and rave about things for hours after laying down to sleep.  I have found that when I post a blog post about something that has been on my mind, I find it easier to shut my eyes and actually fall asleep.

Having an audience of people to express my points of view to is a nice way of getting my view point out there.  It eases that tension, and admittedly, it feels good to do so.  Getting input and feedback on my posts would bring about a nice point of discussion, but it isn't one of those things that I necessarily depend on to find joy in doing this.

So, the question then becomes: How much longer will I keep doing this?  Being that this really isn't a form of conversation, or even close to a conversation starter for me, blogging is one of those things I am trying to keep up with on a regular basis.  But coming up with things to blog about can be challenging at times.  As I have things to express my opinion on, I will continue to blog. :)

Sure, I could join the populace and start ranting about the President.  But I'm not going to do that, because that has literally been done to death, and I'm not going to subject myself to the negativity that would come from either side of that.  This is one of those platforms I'm using to just express my points of view on other things that cross my mind.

So, I will conclude this blog post, as I do every other post by asking your opinion. What are your views on this?  Do you enjoy what you read here?  For those who actually take the time to read these, I humbly thank you for your support.  For those first timers who are just reading this, welcome! And for those who are sick of reading these, these aren't done to appease anyone, so thanks for reading. :)