I know I’m middle-class but could you PLEASE remove your dick from my ass??!!!!

I’m sooo tired of being fucked! I’m not gay so why does every industry keep fucking me?

Health Care – my company provided health care went up. This year I’m paying $325/mo for my benefits when last year I paid $148/mo; doctor’s visits went up from $10 to $25. Urgent care went up from $25 to $50. Emergency room visit went from a co-pay of $100 to a $2000 per family member deductable. So I’m paying more to have the insurance just to have to pay more for services. Oh, and my company doesn’t give annual raises so right off the rip I just took a fuckin pay cut!!!

Private Insurance – my wife and I have insurance on our home with itemized insurance for our jewelry. When my wife lost her wedding ring we filed a claim. After they paid the claim they said they’d either double our premium or drop our jewelry coverage altogether. So…if I never make a claim you just take my money every month but the first time I file a claim then you drop me or double my premium???? DAMN! Can I please have some lubrication???

Air Travel – why don’t you just raise the price of tickets instead of trying nickel and dime fuck me? If your bag is too big, pay $25 to check it; if you have more than 2 carry-on’s, pay $25 to check it; I just went to Jamaica and the resort manager gave my wife 2 bottles of Jamaican rum…That’s two bottles that are more than 3oz so put ‘em in a bag and pay $25 to check them. These sons of bitches told my wife that her purse counted as a 3rd bag; pay $25 and check it. Are you serious??? Pay $25 to check a fuckin purse??????? Can you PLEASE remove your dick from my ass????

IRS– I don’t even have to give any details…the IRS is the biggest dick in the country looking for an available ass to pound. After my divorce 5yrs ago I guess my ass was exposed…even though I pay $1200/mo in child care, I no longer have a house or dependents so I need to pay A LOT more in taxes…ass rape…

Why is it that rich people get special privileges, free shit, tax shelters and shit I probably don’t even know about but the middle class just keeps getting fucked. Some of us are laid off and those of us who are blessed enough to keep our jobs take pay cuts in the form of no annual raises or increases in health care or smaller bonuses and at the same time every other industry is trying to ring more and more from us.

I’m NOT gay so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remove your dick from my ass!!!!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

Another WTF moment

WTF!!!!!

Tuesday night, on our way home from Walmart, my wife and I were pulled over by one of Columbus’ finest. The officer refused to believe that I was sober until I clearly repeated the alphabet (damn! The one time that I actually WAS sober I was accused!). He was rude and condescending to my wife. He refused to believe that I wasn’t carrying drugs or weapons. He threatened to put me jail TWICE. Then he made us wait for nearly an hour while his backup and a tow truck showed up. When he finally came back to our car he said, “well I have good news and bad news for you…I’m not taking YOU to jail but I am taking your car to jail.” He told my wife to get in the backseat of the 2nd squad car so she could be driven home to get her car and then come back and pick me up. Then I was made to stand outside and watch my car get put on a tow truck until my wife showed up with her car.

So you’re asking, what did I do to deserve this treatment??? I was driving with expired registration tags!!! That’s it.

We were both wearing safety belts; I didn’t run a red light; I wasn’t speeding; I didn’t fail to signal; my car wasn’t leaking emissions; I wasn’t swerving; my tags were expired!!!

So because I forgot to renew my tags I was humiliated, my wife was treated disrespectfully. I had to pay $150 to get my car out of the impound yard. I have to pay an exorbitant fine (the cop said it was $250, I haven’t even looked at the ticket yet so I’m not sure). And I lost an entire day of work because I couldn’t get my car out of the impound until the next afternoon.

Let me parenthetically pause my rant in order to state emphatically that I am fully aware that it was my fault that I forgot to renew my tags. My birthday is in December (which is when I should’ve got new tags). At that time my wife was off of work due to major surgery. Since her car gets better gas mileage I was driving her car until late January. So by the time I started driving my car again, it had totally slipped my mind. Now that is no excuse. I should’ve gotten the tags before my birthday whether I was driving the car or not. So I admit that I screwed up. But COME ON!!!! You mean to tell me that I got treated like a common criminal because the sticker on the back of my car had an old date???

I wasn’t doing anything to cause public harm; I wasn’t disturbing the peace. Hell, it was cinco de mayo and I was sober!!!! I was threatened with jail time and my car was impounded because of a sticker on the back of my car.

Am I wrong or are the police sworn to protect and serve??? Cinco de mayo is a holiday where people get drunk and do ignorant shit. There were probably all kinds of REAL crimes happening all across town but this bastard cop wastes over an hour to harass me and take away my car. The cops are not public servants; they aren’t protectors…they are fuckin REVENUE GENERATORS!!! Their ONLY purpose is to collect money…hell I just heard a story on Anderson Cooper’s 360 show that the cops in some small town in Texas are pulling over blacks and Hispanics and robbing them! They pull you over for some bullshit (busted tail light or something) then tell you to empty your wallet and give up your jewelry or you’re going to jail and if you have kids in the car, they're going to children's services…

and they wonder why people don’t trust the police. I’m with NWA now…FUCK THE POLICE!!!!!!!!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

Short and Sweet

I'm too pissed to even go into much detail right now...let me just say that the McCain camp is on some bullshit!

1. Who gives a damn about Bill Ayers? If John McCain wants to bring up shady associations, let's talk about the Keating 5...let's talk about Sarah Palin and her husband being former members of a political party that had, as an agenda item for Alaska to secede from the Union.

2. McCain is LYING when he keeps saying that Barack intends to attack Pakistan. Barack NEVER said that! Stop lying!

3. McCain keeps talking out of both sides of his mouth.
a. He said that he was suspending his campaign to fly back to Washington and save the country from disaster.
I. He didn't suspend his campaign;
II. He didn't save shit! The first plan (the one he was involved with) didn't pass
b. When he did make it to Washington, he spent most of the time on the phone calling people to try and get them to vote for the bill…then turned around and said of Obama, “he didn’t get involved…he just called it in”
c. He said that he wouldn’t go to the first debate until the financial crisis was over…LIE. The bill failed and he went to the debate anyway.
d. He dogged Barack for not having experience but then went and got the least experienced Governor to be his running mate

4. Barack is NOT raising the taxes of MOST of America. According to FactCheck.org, Barack’s plan would provide a tax CUT for 81.3% of working families.

I understand that McCain is desperate and looking for anything to win…but do it with honor Senator McCain! This is some bullshit!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

DAMN THE IRS

This is some bullshit! At the end of April I received a letter from the IRS indicating that I was entitled to a $900 stimulus check and it should arrive on 16-May. The letter further indicated that if I didn’t get it by 16-May, wait for 6 weeks before contacting the IRS. Since Trinity and I had already decided to move our wedding up from 18-Apr-09 to 14-Jun-08, this money would really come in handy! So I figured cool, 6 weeks after 16-May is the end of June. I’ll come back from my honeymoon and have another wedding gift waiting. So, based upon this data, I made some financial decisions based on being "stimulated" by the IRS…BAD MOVE!!! I mean, I figured I could trust the government, at least where the IRS was concerned! Wrong!

So needless to say, I came back from my very relaxing honeymoon to a letter saying that they applied my stimulus check to my 2005 tax debt. Wait a minute, what was that whole thing on the IRS’s website that talked about the difference between a rebate and refund? Refund checks are when you overpay taxes but this stimulus package is supposed to be a reBATE and is not dependent upon anything except you have to file a return and make less than $75k. What a fuckin’ racket! THEY LIED!!!

That’ll be the last time I bank on anything until it’s in my hot little hands! I'm pissed off AGAIN!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

I’m never eating out again!

I went to O’Charley's for dinner last night…for the last time! Let’s see, where to begin…the girl who served us HAD to be on speed! She only had one other table to wait on but she kept running around like a chicken with her head cut off, bouncing from one location to the other but not getting anything accomplished. It took nearly 20 minutes to get our drinks because she said that she wasn’t allowed to make drinks…she had to wait on a manager. I asked for some jalapeno peppers to put on my salad…but by the time the jalapenos showed up, the salad was nearly gone. And remember, she only had one other table to wait on. When I politely asked what took so long, she told me that she wasn’t allowed to get the jalapenos; she had to wait for a manager. I wanted to ask her what the hell was her purpose and why couldn't the manager wait on me!

I ordered the Cajun chicken pasta; Trinity had the Teriyaki chicken (grilled chicken on a bed of rice with Hawaiian sauce and a pineapple on it). Of course it took 8 billion years to get it. Mine was cold...Trinity’s chicken had hardly any sauce on it and the “bed” of rice was so miniscule that it couldn’t have been more than 2 teaspoons of rice. So I sent it back. They nuked mine and when I tasted it, there was no “Cajun” to be found; just a whole bunch of paprika sprinkled on the top. The pasta was nasty and the chicken was dry as a bone. The extra rice and sauce that they brought Trinity didn’t help…still nasty. So we bounced, paying only for the salads that we ate.

So you say, so what! Everyone has a lousy dining experience from time to time. And I’d agree with you. But I haven’t had a decent dining experience in a very long time. Red Lobster was ghetto, Olive Garden’s portions shrank considerably, Chipotle made me sick as a dog, Max & Erma’s prices doubled and the quality of service was cut in half…all lousy experiences. But the crème de la crème was McDonald’s. I got mad a couple of weeks ago ‘cause I ordered a sausage gravy biscuit and this is what they gave me:

Notice closely the tiny amount of gravy (neither biscuit is covered). And look at the one on the bottom…looks like someone took a bite out of the biscuit!!! Usually the biscuits aren’t even visible ‘cause they’re swimming in gravy. Not much swimming going on here…When I took them back, the manager said that they have a new policy and that’s the “standard amount” of gravy. So I asked if that was a standard bite out of my biscuit as well!

First the doctor, now restaurants. Is it just me or has the quality of service plummeted in this country? Why are we being asked to pay for crappy service, cold food and kid sized portions? To hell with it, I’m staying home and cooking! Oh wait, I’m about to get married…I’ll have HER stay home and cook!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

What’s wrong with my doctor?

I’ve been having pretty severe chest pains off and on since around Thanksgiving. At the promptings (ha! Yeah right, promptings) of the future Mrs. Bray I made an appointment to go see a doctor. And the results are a joke!

Let’s see, they drew blood. They performed a sonogram on my heart. They took more blood (since “something” happened to the first set of vials on the way to the lab). They took X-Rays of my chest. They made me take a stress test (this is where you get a sonogram at rest, then run on a treadmill to achieve a certain heart rate, then another sonogram). They made me take my blood pressure every day for three months, record the results then report at the end of each month. And guess what they found? NOTHING! Well, nothing that has anything to do with this pain in my chest. There is nothing wrong with my heart. There is nothing wrong with my lungs. There is nothing wrong with my liver (really? As much as I drink???) They did discover that I have high blood pressure so they put me on this blood pressure medication…well that didn’t work too well since someone stole the pills off of my desk at work.

So I’m sitting here trying to think of something that’s pissing me off so I can post another rant but I can’t concentrate ‘cause my chest is killing me! And after three months of going back and forth to the doctor’s office, they still don’t know what’s wrong with me…but my chest still hurts!!! Well at least I’m not having a heart attack…but what’s the problem? Why can’t they find out what’s wrong with me?

I’ll tell you…it’s because these doctors don’t give a damn about their patients. They herd us all in like cattle, over booking and making us wait for what seems like hours so that they can bill as much as possible. Being in the lobby of the doctor’s office is like being in a lawyer’s office: a flurry of activity designed to bill someone every second of the work day. That’s why they give three people the exact same appointment time. That’s why they send in the nurse practitioner first to ask you every question under the sun as if THEY were qualified to make an astute diagnosis. And that’s why you sit there for 30-45 minutes waiting for the doctor to run in, spend 5 minutes with you, scribble a prescription and race off to the next billable client.

The funny thing is that while every subsequent visit my experience was exactly as I described above, my doctor actually spent about 20 minutes with me collecting information at my first appointment. So is he just incompetent? Or is it that he just really doesn’t give a damn?

I work for a software company. When a customer calls in with a problem, there is a very narrow window of time for me to diagnose the problem before I escalate the issue. How is it that a customer’s software problem can get escalated and subsequently resolved expeditiously but after 3 months my doctor is just as clueless about my condition as he was the first time I walked in the door??? And meanwhile, my insurance company is receiving some rather hefty bills and my chest STILL hurts…what kinda shit is that?!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

Lost without a party…

I am aggravated with politics! I didn’t think that was possible…I love politics. But I’m having difficulties choosing a Presidential candidate this time around…or even a party affiliation. Let me explain…

I have always considered myself a Conservative. And previously, I was ok with the fact that though we don’t take the same road, in more cases than not, I arrive at the same destination as other Conservatives. (For example, I don’t like welfare; but I don’t like welfare because I see it perpetuating cyclic, generational dependency upon the government. Other Conservatives don’t like welfare because they’re condescending, selfish assholes who just don’t give a damn about other people. Different paths, same conclusion). So even though I don’t like the current crop of Republican politicians, I’ve generally given them my support. However, the Conservative responses to recent news points of discussions have led me to a place where I don’t feel comfortable being identified with them anymore.

After Colin Powell’s group, America’s Promise Alliance released a report stating that 17 of the 50 largest cities have abysmal and shocking high school drop out rates Rush Limbaugh concluded that inner city schools fail because those cities are run by liberals. There is so much here that’s just stupid!

1. The report states that nation-wide drop out rates are typically 15% higher in urban areas than in suburban areas. This means that it doesn’t matter whether the local government is liberal or conservative, urban schools have higher drop out rates. It happens everywhere, not just where liberals are in charge.

2. If anything, the conclusion should be that neither liberals nor conservatives give a DAMN about inner city schools or inner city kids. Since these inner city schools are predominantly black and/or Hispanic, then the conclusion should be that liberals and conservatives alike either don’t like minorities (racism) or they don’t like poor people (classism). There is NO WAY to draw the conclusion that Rush draws.

3. To attempt to politicize a crisis in our schools shows not only an incredible amount of ignorance, but also a complete lack of compassion or caring.

If this is how conservatives feel…that educational failure is an issue of politics, then how can I be affiliated with this group of people?

Then, after Pastor Jeremiah Wright made multiple controversial statements, Conservatives like Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Pat Buchanan and, of course, Rush Limbaugh all had negative things to say. It’s usually unwise to open your mouth when you don’t know what you’re talking about!

1. Jeremiah Wright’s comments come directly out of the black church experience of Liberation Theology. Wiki says, “Liberation theology focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the Liberator of the oppressed. It emphasizes the Christian mission to bring justice to the poor and oppressed, particularly through political activism.” This political activism is not affiliated with any particular political party. It simply uses politics as the vehicle of change…the means to the elimination of oppression. And with the exception of Malcolm X, nearly every civil rights leader of the past grew up and came into prominence because they practiced Liberation Theology. It is NOT anti-American. It’s not even anti-white people. It’s anti-oppression!

2. It is a fallacy to link your faith with your politics. I meet so many Conservatives who believe that because they vote Republican and believe in family values that this automatically makes them a Christian. If you want to get technical, New Testament Christianity is more like Communism than Capitalism. A political overview of the Bible shows ancient Israel under a Theocracy, followed by a Monarchy. And the New Testament Church practiced Communism. Acts 4:32-37 details how people in the church sold property and gave the proceeds to the Apostles who, essentially engaged in wealth redistribution. And while it was not required of the congregation to sell their properties and give the money to the Apostles for mass redistribution, check out what happened to Ananias and Sapphira when they lied about it (Acts 5:1-11). Capitalism has its roots in greed. The capitalistic economy essentially says, “I’m greedy! I want I want I want! In order to get what I want, I probably need to start a business. I’m not going to start a business with the specific goal of helping people. I’m going into business to make money for myself. I’m probably going to end up helping people because I need to hire people to get the work done. But my end goal is to satisfy my greed!” This is incredibly simplistic, I know, but it makes the point. But don’t get me wrong, I LOVE capitalism…just don’t get it twisted…it is diametrically opposed to the tenants of Christianity! And just because Jeremiah Wright was Barack’s pastor doesn’t make him his political advisor. Barack’s faith does NOT have to be linked to his politics. If that were the case, then every Christian should be a Communist.

3. As I stated in a previous rant, I have a real problem with people calling the ‘man of GOD’ names like idiot, anti-American or moron. I disagree with some of the more inflammatory remarks that he made also, but don’t call a preacher a moron!

This type of “talking out the side of your neck without knowing what the hell you’re talking about” is reflective of a mean spirit. If Conservatives hate those who practice the political activism of Liberation Theology and feel comfortable with bad mouthing clergy, again I ask how can I affiliate myself with them???

Conservative Republicans come across as rich snobs who feel no relationship to their fellow man unless that fellow man talks, dresses, thinks and votes as they do. They don’t promote a melting pot concept of America but rather complete conformity. And worse, many of them have crossed over from Conservative to NeoCon! And while I do believe that English should be the required national language of the USA, and I do believe in limited government and I really believe in low taxes, I actually DO give a damn about the poor. I do think that something should be done to help the poor and to fix the schools…I just don’t think that it’s the role of the Federal Government. But I can’t get with the Republicans mean spirited asses…not anymore…

But I can’t join the very left leaning Democratic party either. I recently listened to a video podcast called TheFrankFactor. The episode that I saw was called Liberalism 101 in which he defines social liberalism as essentially a political philosophy based upon reason, tolerance and economic equality. He went on to explain that pure liberalism tolerates, even embraces what I would consider to be morally reprehensible behavior, governmental redistribution of wealth (see, I told you not to mix your faith with your politics) and progressive taxation. They believe that it is the government’s job to ensure that schools, libraries, housing for the homeless, health care and the “living wage” are protected and funded. And though he didn't go into it, Liberals also promote class envy (getting poor and middle-class people to hate the rich) and "over the top" environmental policies. I can’t get with any of that!!! But at least they sound compassionate. They at least SEEM to give a damn even though they don’t (see my bullet above about inner city drop out rates).

I’m really beginning to feel at home with the Libertarians. A quick pass through Wikipedia reveals: Libertarianism is a broad collection of political philosophies possessing the common themes of limited government and strong individual liberty. Libertarianism's ideals, although often varied in detail, typically center on policies in favor of extensive personal liberties (e.g., freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to bear arms, freedom of and from religion, freedom of press, freedom of ownership), rejecting compulsory socialism and communism in favor of allowing private property (whether being held on an individual basis or in collective by a group of individuals), promoting personal responsibility and private charity in opposition to welfare statism. Hey, I’m all for that!!! But wait, who was the last Libertarian President? When was the last time a libertarian was even seriously considered (and don’t say Ron Paul ‘cause he ran as a Republican).

So here’s my dilemma: I can be affiliated with the pompous, arrogant, condescending Conservative Republicans who don’t give a damn about the poor…

…or…

I can throw my hat in with Liberal Democrats who think that we should tax the hell out of everyone so that government can PROMISE to take care of us all from cradle to grave, even though they know that they can’t…and oh, by the way, they can express themselves sexually in any way that they choose and be tolerated…so I can kick it with an over taxed, over sexed pedophile who hugs trees and hates anyone making over $100,000 year…

…or…

I can make my party affiliation with a group of people who seem to think the way I do but who have never been or never will be politically viable…

What a predicament! I love politics but I am presently without a party…This is some bullshit!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

Barack is pissing me off

Those of you who know me, know that I am a Conservative. Both politically and socially I lean right. I am NOT a NeoCon but I am a Conservative because I believe that it is NOT the role of government to provide for its citizenry from cradle to the grave. I don’t think that it’s the President’s responsibility to get me a job or a raise. I don the think that it’s the role of government to ensure that I have health care. I don’t believe that it’s the role of the Federal Government to bail individuals or companies out when there is a crisis (like this housing market craziness). And quite frankly, prior the Teddy Roosevelt’s New Deal, most Americans felt the same way I do. The “40 Acres and a Mule” black family was proud and strong. They sent their children to colleges that were founded by African Americans and supported those schools as much as possible. The black family was strong and proud, even through struggles and hardships. Even after President Andrew Johnson revoked the 40 Acres and a Mule order, there was no mass exodus of black men from the family; and no one in the black community fell prey to the victim mentality or the “government owes me” concept that pervades our culture today.

But something happened down the line…not just with the black community but with most of America…the government came along and offered a handout…and we took it, hook line and sinker. Now we have an entire generation of people who believe that the government owes them something. Whether it be welfare, affirmative action, social security, universal health care or the myriad other entitlements offered by Uncle Sam…they lured us into a society of victims and dependents…

…ok, that’s not what this rant is about. But I felt that I needed to set the stage for what I’m about to say. Because I AM such a Right Wing Conservative you’d think that Barack Obama would be the last person that I’d consider supporting. I mean, until recently I was an avid listener to the Rush Limbaugh program (OMG, even if you hate the man, you HAVE to admit that he’s absolutely hilarious!). But I have to admit that Obama is drawing me in. I mean, how can you NOT admire a person who goes off to Harvard Law School then after graduation works in the inner city, setting up programs for poor people?

The things that I like about him include:

1. His view of the economy. In September ’07 he said, “I believe that America's free market has been the engine of America's great progress. It's created a prosperity that is the envy of the world. It's led to a standard of living unmatched in history. And it has provided great rewards to the innovators and risk-takers who have made America a beacon for science, and technology, and discovery…We are all in this together. From CEOs to shareholders, from financiers to factory workers, we all have a stake in each other's success because the more Americans prosper, the more America prospers.”…he kinda sounds like a Conservative…
2. The fact that he has the balls to stand up and tell the truth about the state of race relations in this country.
3. The fact that a black man that did NOT come out of the traditional Civil Rights Movement actually has a chance at the presidency.
4. The fact that he wants to roll back some of President Bush’s policies that some might say took away some of our civil liberties.

But before my non-Conservative friends get overly excited, I am not a convert…yet…

I don’t like:

1. His desire to just pull our troops out of Iraq. Whether you agree with the premise of WHY we went to war or not, we’re there now and to pull out now would be stupid.
2. His new entitlement deal…the universal health care proposal (see my rant last month about Obama’s universal health care proposal)
3. His insistence on trying to level the economic playing field by increasing taxes on rich people and businesses. How many times do I need to go over this point? America is a capitalist nation that’s built on greed and as such, the only way that this economy works is to let greedy people be greedy. What do you think the ‘American Dream” is all about? This is extremely simplistic but follow the logic: if you tax rich people and businesses, they either raise prices on their goods and services, lay people off or move away. This is not a difficult concept people. YOU AREN’T GONNA TAKE THE RICH MAN’S MONEY FROM HIM…NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY!!!
4. His environmental policy. In October ’07 he said, “Well, I don't believe that climate change is just an issue that's convenient to bring up during a campaign. I believe it's one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation. That's why I've fought successfully in the Senate to increase our investment in renewable fuels. That's why I reached across the aisle to come up with a plan to raise our fuel standards… And I didn't just give a speech about it in front of some environmental audience in California. I went to Detroit, I stood in front of a group of automakers, and I told them that when I am president, there will be no more excuses — we will help them retool their factories, but they will have to make cars that use less oil.” Translation: more expensive cars and higher fueling costs. Let it go!

Barack is pissing me off! Every time I wanna like him and show some support, he says something that shows me that he’s perpetuating the mentality that I discussed at the start of this rant. I don’t want to be a ward of the state Barack! Don’t give me health care! Don’t try to level the playing field for me! I don’t believe that the government owes me anything and you can’t make me! Just stick to the stuff that I like and I might actually vote for you!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

Furious At Talk Radio

I’m PISSED!!!

With all of the hullabaloo surrounding Rev. Jeremiah Right, former pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ where Presidential candidate Barack Obama attends, leave it to Rush Limbaugh to drive me over the edge and piss me off!

I have been a faithful listener of the Rush Limbaugh show since 1989. I think his show is absolutely hilarious. And while I question Rush’s motives about many things, I agree with many of his Conservative conclusions. But Rush just lost me as a loyal listener!

Over the past few days Rush has shown me that he’s either a huge racist, a complete moron or utterly incapable of listening. He went on a diatribe about Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments. And while they were incendiary, inappropriate and divisive, they do reflect the opinions of many African Americans. But whether that’s the case or not, Rush crossed the line when he referred to the former Pastor as a hate monger, an idiot, a moron and an America Hater.

First, the scripture says in I Chronicles 16:22, "...touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm". It’s completely acceptable to question or even denounce the views of the man of God but you do NOT attack him personally, calling him an idiot or a moron.

Secondly, just because Barack goes to that church doesn’t mean that he believes everything that is said. Hell, I’ve been to a church before where the pastor said that AIDS was GOD’s judgment on America’s immorality. I don’t believe that but does that mean that I need to not go to that church anymore? No, I just agree to disagree with that opinion.

And finally, as Barack said so eloquently in his “race” speech, African American frustration, anger and rage are real and valid. I get sooo tired of white people saying that blacks are angry because of slavery. Outside of Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton, NOONE in the black community talks about slavery. We’re pissed when we get passed over for a promotion that’s given to a white person who’s FAR less qualified than us…we’re pissed when we get denied a home mortgage loan that’s offered to a white person with less income and worse credit…we’re pissed off when we walk into an all white church or an all white bar and are CLEARLY made to feel unwanted (and sometimes actually TOLD that we’re not welcome)…we’re aggravated when we see a white woman clutch her bag whenever a black man walks passed her. But as Barack also said, black people have to keep the anger from increasing the rift in racial relations AND keep the anger from pursuing our own goals and dreams. Rush, since you don’t know anything about what I just delineated, keep your friggin’ mouth shut about it!!!

On some level, everyone has probably said that something’s wrong with this country. I think it’s absolutely despicable that a pregnant welfare recipient can get a private hospital room with T.V. and phone and all other “extras” but the working class pregnant woman’s insurance only pays for a semi-private room and the T.V. and phone cost extra. I think that America is REALLY screwed up when they offer social security and welfare benefits to illegal aliens but working class people can’t get any help. I find it repugnant that rich people can find tax shelters to hide their money in and poor people barely pay taxes but those of us actually out here struggling, TRYING to make our own way and obtain the American Dream are the ones that are bearing the tax load. But does that mean that I hate America? If I say that I think America is FUCKED UP, does that mean that I hate America? That’s what’s referred to as a slippery slope argument and it doesn’t wash.

Then after Rush went after Rev. Jeremiah Wright, he completely misrepresented Barack’s “race” speech. Rush said on his 19-Mar-08 broadcast that Obama essentially said that we have race problems in America because there’s not enough government programs (like national healthcare). Either Rush is an outright LIAR or he lacks the capacity to comprehend. Barack actually said that we can’t have serious discussions about national healthcare or other pressing issues BECAUSE we’re spending so much time deal with bullshit issues like race…the exact OPPOSITE to Rush claimed he said!

Then Rush played excerpts from a guy named James David Manning, Pastor of the ATLAH World Missionary Church in Harlem, NY. In the excerpts that Rush played, Rev. Manning said that Barack was an emissary from the devil. He also said that Barack was a pimp; that no one even knew who Barack was until a white woman with 54 DD breasts made a YouTube video. Well, besides the fact that Rev. Manning CLEARLY has no clue about how a bra is sized (if she were 54” round, she’d be VERY FAT!), the ONLY reason that Rush played these incendiary remarks was to show his mostly white audience how ignorant the “black church experience” is.

I’m PISSED! I’ve been listening to Rush Limbaugh for all of these years and I don’t recall EVER hearing him utterly misrepresent anyone the way he’s done in recent days. Well, I’m not turning in my Conservative membership card but I AM done with Rush Limbaugh and all of these other talk show hosts.

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

They CAN'T be serious

ARE THEY SERIOUS????

Ok, I’ve not submitted a post for a while because, quite frankly, I haven’t had a reason to rant. But I do today. Are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton really serious about this universal healthcare crap? PLEASE tell me…I’m BEGGING SOMEONE to tell me that they’re just campaign promises that neither of them actually intend to fulfill. PLEASE!!!

Have you heard the details (though sketchy they may be) of their plans? Barack says that he’s going to end the war and funnel that money into universal healthcare. Um…excuse me! The money that we’re spending on the war in Iraq is borrowed money! This war is not a line item in the federal budget that can be appropriated elsewhere. It’s borrowed money. So if Obama ends the war, that just means that we don’t have to borrow that money anymore. It wont be extra money laying around. So guess what? He’s going to RAISE TAXES to pay for universal healthcare. Let me be very clear when I say this: ANYONE WHO ATTEMPTS TO RAISE MY TAXES WILL NEVER EVER EVER GET MY VOTE!!!

Now Hillary’s plan is even worse! First off, her plan has a mandate. This means that everyone in America will be REQUIRED to have healthcare!!! This is worse than the car insurance scam. You can’t get a driver’s license or tags for your car without having car insurance. But as long as you don’t actually own a car, you don’t HAVE to get car insurance. Under Hillary’s plan, everyone would be required to have healthcare. What if I don’t WANT healthcare? What if I never get sick and I think it’s stupid to have money coming out of every check to pay for something that I don’t want? What are you going to do? Fine me? Throw me in jail? What happened to personal liberties? What happened to freedom in America? How can you FORCE me to PAY for something that I don’t want and don’t think I need? That is bullshit!!!

But it gets even worse: Hillary intends to pay for her version of healthcare by not only ending the war (i.e. tax increases) but also by taking profits from tobacco and oil companies. I’m sorry, I don’t care how pissed off you are about having to pay exorbitant gas prices, capitalism is the foundation of our economy and the American way. It is un-American to even consider having the government take profits from a business! Can anyone say COMMUNISM????!!!!

So Barack wants to raise my taxes but Hillary wants to raise my taxes, take away my personal freedoms and then go after American businesses…at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist or of espousing a slippery slope argument, this thing wreaks of the dismantling of the America that I’ve grown up in and love.

Democrat, Republican, Green Party Member or Libertarian…PLEASE don’t let either of these fools in the White House!!!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

A 'sorta' rant

Ok, I haven't had anything to rant about in a couple of months. My job is great. Things with LaTrina are fantastic. Not much drama from past relationships. So things are going pretty good...but today I'm especially stressed the hell out.

Last week my grandmother went to the hospital to have a pacemaker installed. The bastards wont get the shit right! The leads slipped out, twice! Then there was some anomalous mis-rhythms or other such nonsense. Last night she told me that she may have to go BACK to the hospital to have them redo the procedure for the 3rd time. This is some bullshit!!!

Saturday evening Trina wrecked her car so now the front passenger tire is pushed back a few inches so when I make a right-hand turn, the tire rubs against the side wall...only a matter of time before the tire blows up...and of course, she's driving MY car now since my job is only 2 miles from the apartment and hers is like 20...

The IRS is KILLING ME! I have no financial wiggle room whatsoever and there's nothing I can do about it so EVERYONE better get ready for a lean Christmas...

And once again, Latresa (the ex-wife) called early this morning...KNOWING that I'm an insomniac and KNOWING that every minute that I actually can sleep is important and KNOWING that once awake, it's nearly impossible for me to go back to sleep...she called at the crack of ass to remind me to pick up my son at 6pm tonight...a message that she could've left around lunch...

...so I'm broke, exhausted, driving someone else's screwed up car and worried about my grandmother...

...I know that's more of a bitch session than a rant but what the hell...it's MY rant site!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

I’m PISSED!!!

I’m a black man…a PROUD black man. And as a proud black man, I’m pissed off about recent things going on in the country…stupid shit that other black men are doing!

Antonio Henton, 3^rd string quarterback for the Ohio State University was arrested earlier this week for solicitation. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it means that he propositioned a hooker for sex, not knowing that the hooker was actually an undercover female police officer. HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE!!! A freakin’ OSU player…and a QUARTERBACK…he should have women throwing themselves at him! What the HELL was he doing PAYING for ass?!!! Now his ignorant ass has been suspended from the team. How totally embarrassing!

O.J. Simpson bursts into a hotel with his “crew” to steal back his personal memorabilia…this idiocy doesn’t even deserve comment…I want O.J. to do Black America a favor and pull a Michael Jackson; just leave the country…he’s a HUGE embarrassment!

The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson storm upon Jana, LA in a media frenzy that was much ado about nothing. I’m not saying that what happened to those black kids was fair, but did it warrant a visit from our civil rights leaders? Three white high school teens hang nooses from a tree and get suspended from school; then 6 black teens (who attended the same high school where the nooses were hung) grab one of the white boys and beat the shit out of him; 5 of the 6 were tried as adults (the 6^th one was only 14 years old). Now, while I’ll admit that it’s cowardly and senseless for 6 guys to jump 1 guy, the penalty was pretty stiff. In fact, it was bullshit! But did it warrant a visit from our civil rights leaders? HELL NO!!! With all of the things that they could be spending time on, why go to Jana? Go somewhere and preach a sermon or shut the hell up! Jason Whitlock, an African-American sportswriter for the Kansas City Star said, “I believe that most, or a significant segment, of black America is tired of Jesse Jackson. We look at his track record of his accomplishments, and there‘s nothing there. There‘s nothing there. Other than Jesse and Al lining their pockets, they have done nothing. If you compare Jesse and Al to Martin and Malcolm, and what those guys accomplished, it‘s an embarrassment. I don‘t understand how these black leader, how our black leaders, get these lifetime appointments, like they‘re Supreme Court justices. We need to vote them out and bring in new leadership. It‘s not 1965. The problems aren‘t the same as they were in 1965. It‘s 2007. Black people have a new set of problems. And we need some new leadership and people with new solutions. These guys are trying to drag us back into the 1940s and ‘50s.” I agree 100%...and I’m embarrassed, aggravated and pissed.

Michael Vick…What can I say about that except…you can take the fool out of the ghetto, but you can’t take the ghetto out of the fool! How embarrassing…

Then today, a black man called into Rush Limbaugh’s talk radio program and embarrassed himself. He started by launching a diatribe about there not being any such thing as white people. His point was that white is a color that doesn’t apply to anyone’s skin; there are Caucasian people, but not white people. Once Rush capitulated, this guy proceeded to say that Rush hates Democrats primarily because a majority of Democrats are black; and that proves that Rush is a racist. And finally, he made the claim that no one died under the Clinton Administration because there were no significant military activities under Clinton (that’s my transliteration of what he said…it was so convoluted that if I typed what he actually said, you’d have the same headache that I have now).

DAMN!!! Where do I even start??? Ok, first let me state that this is NOT a defense of Rush Limbaugh. The following comments are intended to slap the shit out of this stupid ass, embarrassing black man!

#1. Black people make up less than 15% of the entire country…it is IMPOSSIBLE that a majority of the Democratic Party is black…to say some shit like that was worse than dumb…

#2. Rush Limbaugh’s radio program is 97% political…why the fuck would you call into that particular radio program to argue semantics? Who gives a flying fuck if you call them white or Caucasian? That’s the dumb shit we let ourselves get all up in arms over. It’s like the stupid argument in the church about baptism…when you get dunked, does the preacher say, “…Father, Son, Holy Ghost” or does he say, “…in the name of Jesus”? Does it really matter? This shit gives me a headache!

#3. No one died during the Clinton Administration? There was no significant military activity while Clinton was in the White House???? You stupid mutherfucker! What were Rwanda, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Haiti? It’s ok to disagree with or even dislike the current administration; it is our constitutional right to even protest…but can you at least ATTEMPT to sound intelligent while doing so? Just try…do it for me…

I’m just really, really tired of turning on the radio or television and being greeted with black men doing or saying dumb shit! Did the Million Man March set us back? Or was I just not really paying as close attention to national issues 10 years ago? I don’t remember anyone (other than Jesse Jackson) saying and doing the dumb shit that’s going on now…

Black men…please stop embarrassing yourselves and ME! I love you brothahs but you are PISSING ME THE FUCK OFF!!!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

I HATE The IRS!

I really DESPISE the IRS! I’m fully aware that no one LIKES the IRS but I DESPISE them! I have been divorced for three years now and ever since I moved out of my house, I’ve had the IRS up my ass. Why is it that you can’t claim child support???? You can claim alimony but not child support. Well I don't pay alimony! This is personal information but I’m paying nearly $1200/month in child support and you mean to tell me that I have to pay taxes on that money????!!!! My ex-wife gets it taken out of my check before I even get paid so tell me why do I have to pay taxes on it? Shouldn't it be like an IRA or some other pre-tax reduction? Why am I responsible to pay taxes on money that I don’t even get? Don't get me wrong, I have NO PROBLEM providing for my children but why does the IRS impose taxes on me for money that I don't even see?! When I called them to try and work something out (‘cause I owe A LOT of money to them), they said, “your child support is YOUR responsibility! Whatever the court tells you to pay is YOUR problem. What you owe the IRS is OUR issue!” I wanted to jump through the phone and do something ignorant.

Why do we even have to pay taxes anyway? I’m under the impression that taxation was only supposed to be a temporary thing, imposed by the Federal Government ONLY in times of war. What is this perpetual taxation at EVERY level of government?! I think it’s criminal…but who can fight the government, right? I don’t want to move to any other country. So what do I do? Pay my damn taxes, then bitch about it here, on my rantings blog…

…so I HATE, DETEST AND DESPISE the IRS…

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

You’re Moving Too Fast

Do you know anyone who moves too quickly in a relationship? Well I do. I know this woman named Jackie who got married three months after she met this guy. I said it then and I’ll say it again, “What kinda shit is that?!!!” What’s the hurry? You’re already having sex, why the need to get married so quickly? No one, and I mean NO ONE falls in love that quickly. Most psychologists will tell you that it takes us about 12 – 18 months, on average, to really get to know someone. Hell, the first 3 months you’re still in that “kissy-face” mode of operation…you haven’t even begun to get to know the other person. It’s not usually until after about 6 months that you’re comfortable enough to burp or fart around the other person, how in the hell can you even consider marriage? I don’t know about you, but I’d never consider marrying anyone that I couldn’t fart around.

The problem, I think, is that when you’re in the beginning of a relationship, especially if the two of you really “click”, the feeling is that you ARE getting to know each other. And on a superficial level, that may be true. However, marriage is one of the hardest things in the world to maintain, believe me, I was married for 14 years, I know. Even when two people are madly, passionately in love with each other, marriage is not a joke and in no way should be entered into lightly. And, in order to develop the knowledge, trust and depth of love that marriage requires, you need time…time to see how the other person reacts under stress; time to see what makes them angry and how they react when they are angry; time to see how well or conversely, how poorly they handle money; time to see how they act around children; time to find out if the religious convictions they claim to subscribe to are really modeled in their life; time to find out if they're lazy or not; time to find out if they can be faithful…

If they're worth it, then they're worth the wait and they're not going anywhere. And if they do bounce, then it's a good thing that you didn't marry that person in the first place...slow the hell down and take your time!

Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…

Political Correctness: Cowardice With A Smile

I was engaged in a really great conversation last night with a very lovely young woman and I made the comment, “You never have to guess with me: I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Some may say that I’m not the nicest person in the world. To that I can only say that I have no intention of ever being mean, I just keep it real…if it bothers them, then it’s because they’re too much of a coward to be forthright themselves!”

I began thinking about what I’d just said…people really ARE cowards! In my 4-May post I made the statement that people lie because of cowardice…and now I’m contending that cowardice is also the culprit behind political correctness…I may have to devote some time to the concept of cowardice itself and share my findings with you at some point in the future…or maybe not…it might be boring…

Anyway, I digress. Wikipedia says, “Political correctness (often abbreviated to PC) is a term used to describe language or behavior that is intended, or said to be intended, to provide a minimum of offense, particularly to racial, cultural, or other identity groups…

…Critics often use terms such as inclusive language and civility are often used to praise language that they see as "politically correct". Those who use the term in a critical fashion often express a concern about the dilution of freedom of speech, intolerance of language, and the avoidance of a discussion of social problems…George H.W. Bush spoke out against a "movement" who would "declare certain topics off-limits, certain expressions off-limits, even certain gestures off-limits.”

Catch that? The avoidance of a discussion of social problems... Let me translate: people are too PUSSY to have real discussions of real social issues; it’s easier to hide behind “please don’t offend me”! So afraid are we of offending someone that we can barely say HI anymore…no, really! Remember the scene on UnderCover Brother when Conspiracy Brother said, “Hi? What you mean hi? Like "high yellow wanna be white"? "High" like the *white man* wants to keep us? Wait, you don't smell any weed on me, do you?”

Seriously though, why do we avoid things? Cowardice! I’m not advocating that we throw epithets around, intentionally hurting people’s feelings but the opposite extreme is just as bad. While we’re walking around on pins and needles, careful not to be offensive, no problems are being solved…we can’t solve racism, sexism or any other “ism” if we can’t even be open and honest with each other. Political correctness rubs you on the back, smiles in your face and makes you FEEL good, but it doesn’t do a damned thing to help in actually resolving real issues…

Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…