3 thoughts

In regards to the events of today....

1. You can not predict crazy.

2. You can not live in fear. When you do that, "they" win. 

3. You don't know the facts. Stop, think, be patient & don't over react.

Save the Internet!

Hopefully this will be the last political thing I write for awhile, but if you don't stand up and protect your rights, "They" will try to take them from you.



I want creative people to be paid for their work. I do. Just not at the expense of my freedom of speech. I think the Internet has become a huge tool in the area of human expression. To give the government the ability to shut down or edit websites for "fear" that some one, some where, might see a movie or hear a song for free is insane. This bill is so vague in its wording that it will give 1984ish powers to the government to control the flow of information on the Internet. And that is what these seems like to me, an attempt to legalize the control of information on the World Wide Web. If you don't want the government to have control over what you do with your body, why would to trust them to have control over what you know with your mind.
Contact your Congress Person & your Senator and tell them no to S.O.P.A and the Protect IP act.

The End of an Era...Or the beginning of a Revolution...

So early this morning, NYPD evicted the Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park. They said it was health and safety reason. This effectively ends the two month protest that started there and then spread across the country, then the world.The fact that cities are now working together to oppose the Occupy Movement, seems to legitimise the movement. Like the old saying goes, "judge a man by the quality of his enemies." By no means do I think that this eviction will last, but it is good moment to reflect on the Occupy/99% movement so far.

I got mixed feeling about the whole Occupy movement.

I applaud the sheer number of people who stood up and said The System is broken. Because it is. The Rich are getting Richer and the Poor are getting Poorer. And for the first time in 400 years the middle class is shrinking.

Why are giant companies and institutions getting bailed out with our money? Why do these mega-corps that make Billions in profit not have to pay taxes? Have these huge companies just bought off our government? How does a company like BP still make billions in profit after destroying the ecology of an entire region? I know these are complex issues that don't have a simple answer. But they are questions that need to be asked. More importantly, they are question that need to be addressed by our political official. Because, at least in theory, they represent us the people. And the people are angry. That should scary the shit of the 1%, including most of our politicians. Because when the number of the poor and hungry become to great, the poor and hungry will start to eat the rich.

Still the 99% movement has problems. The movement doesn't have a goal or any type of organization. It is just people, alot of people, scream that the system is broken. They don't seem to have anything better to replace it. Criticism is easy, getting out there and creating a replacement is going to be the real work. Do they want to convert to Communism? Socialism? Darwinism? To have total debt forgiveness or set the credit ratings back to 0? Currently, they are like a man watching his house burn down. Instead of picking up a shovel or hose to fight it, they are just talking about the fire. It is all very passive for a political movement, which is probably why politicians in Washington DC treat it like a joke.

Still we live in the information age. If all these people across the world could be pulled together, including the revolutions that are taking place in the Middle East, I think alot of change could get made. We all want a better world, so let try to make it! That leave the question of, How and into What???

No. 26

I don't like to write about Politic to much, but this legitimately scares me.

If you don't know what Amendment/Constitutional Initiative #26, it state:

Initiative #26 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to define the word “person” or “persons”, as those terms are used in Article III of the state constitution, to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.

Now, just for the record, I must state that I am against abortion as a form of birth control. But, one of the most important things to me, are my rights and freedoms. I can't stand by while any social, religious, or governmental body dictates to me what I can or can't do with my body. That probably sounds strange coming from a guy, but to limit my choices and/or my doctors choices is just stupid. That is why it is call "pro-choice" and not "pro-abortion".

While this law might be meant as an anti-abortion law, it isn't. As I read it, anything that would hurt a fetus would be criminal. That is one of the BIG problems with this law. It is vague and open for interpretation. Birth control pills, life saving surgeries, fertilization practices could become a crime or at least open to criminal investigation. A miscarriage might be seen as murder and the law also make no provision for the welfare of the mother.

There is also a serious flaw in the logic of the conservative right that is backing this law. This will not end abortion. Abortion did not magicial appear because of Roe vs Wade. Records of abortion go back at least as far as ancient Greece. All the end of medical abortions will do is drive it underground. The rise of unsafe and unsanitary abortion practices will take their place. Everything from wire hangs into the uterus, to needles full of salt water directly to the fetus have been used in the past. They will be used again. This will not only endanger the fetus but the mother as well.

Another factor, and this one just pisses my off, is Personhood USA isn't from Mississippi. They are from Colorado. Where this law was defeated twice. So they moved the fight here. Why? We are last in education & health care, but lead the nation in poverty, teen pregnancy & infant mortality. We are also a highly conservative state with a large religious base. They came here because they think we are uneducated religious fanatics. Except many religious (Catholics, Episcopalians) and conservative group (Like the State Republican Governor) have come out against this law, as has every major medical group. But there is a very real chance this could pass.

That lead to my next problem, Who will care for all these new children? Conservatives in general are for smaller government. Yet, the passage of this law will see the need to double or triple the size of social services in Mississippi. Who will pay for all of this? You and Me. The tax payers of this state. I wish that everyone who votes Yes on this, became legally responsible for taking in and raising all the new children. I think they might be less inclined to vote for it, if they had to be held directly accountable for it.

So, if the newly fertilized eggs are now people, do they count on the census? Can we included them on our taxes? Would we grant citizenship to a fetus, if born from illegal immigrant parents? Will it effect the tax base? Will people want to move to or stay in a state that limits their health options?

There are to many, "ifs", "maybes" and "could bes" in this law. It is any attempt to legislate morality, based on small, narrow minded, but vocal group. Historical speaking that has always turned out well *cough* Nazi Germany.

All this law will do is limit the rights of women in Mississippi. If you are going to take rights away from women, how long is it till they legalize lynch of African Americans again? Or the public beating of Homosexuals? When you start removing rights of one group, how long will it be before they remove the rights of all groups.

What a Long Week

Lots going on this week.....

The Inauguration


What can I say, write, think, or feel what hasn't been said, or written, or felt a thousand time already. I will just say for once in a long time it was a good day in America.



Still Adventuring in Umemployement

While I am sure that almost everyone got to watch the inauguration Tuesday, I did not. I have spend alot of time this week in my car. I drove down Tuesday to McComb, to meet with a rep. from Sante Fe Cattle Company. I had a meeting at 10am and I finished up just in time to hear the President give his address. I guess I was good enough, because they called me back later that day to set up a second interview in McComb with the VP of south eastern operations.So I was schedualed to have a second interview on Wednesday afternoon. So I drove back on Wednesday. Basically after talking for 30 minutes they said they would send me an offer letter. So I don't have a job with them yet, but I guess they want me to come work for them. The only problem with this is that the job will be in Hammond, Louisana. Normally this would not be a problem, except for the fact that I am see some one here. But, my relationship with Amanda is complicated. Sometimes it feels like no relationship at all and then other times it seems very serious. I guess I will have to figure out what to do after I actually have the job.

Anyway, right before I left on Wednesday, my buddy Stephan called to tell me Debbie(his wife) was giving birth to their first son, Conner. To congrats to Stephan, Debbie, and Conner. And seeing that I was in South Mississippi anyway, I rolled on over to Hattiesburg to visit with folks.

I did stop off at the hospital first, but I never found anyone I knew. Those place are like mazes. So I called and went to dinner. I met Charlotte and we had a grand old time having drinks and just generally being the fun kids we are (or as much fun kids as a 26 and 31 year old can be). I even spilled my beer right on Charlotte! I felt bad about that. So we then made plans to go rent DVDs and watch some movies. Somehow it turned into a "B movie" night, we watched Freaks and The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. The second one I recommend because it is a modern homage/spoof to 1950s "B" horror/sci-fi films. Charlotte's boyfriend Hank arrived home and watched most of the movies with us, as we made plans for the next day.

See, for a long time now I have been wanting to go down to Abita Springs, Louisana and visit the brewery of Abita Beer . They do a free tour. But for one reason or another I have never made it there. But with Hank and Charlotte's support we had planned to go down and and enjoy the day. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be, Sunny, high in the low 70s. Prefect day for road tripping. You might think it irresponsible of me to drive down to a brewery, when I don't have a job or money coming in, and your right. But really what else did I have to do. I didn't have an interview that day and I had been offered a job, in theory, the day before. So anyway, after waking up I found out Hank couldn't go, he got called into work(see, work is bad!). So me and Charlotte went. The drive down was boring and what not, but we had fun, I filled her in on my whats going on in my life, she told me about Hank, her sister, and herself moving to NOLA. We got a little lost between the Interstate and the town of Abita Spring, but made it with plenty of time for the tour. The tour starts in their Brew Pub with free samples of beer. Then you watch a video that explains the brewing process and then you get to walk the brewery. The Brewery itself isn't that interesting. Just large tanks and hoses. So unless they are mixing the mash there isn't much to see. After the tour, we went and eat at the Abita Brew Pub, which in the original brewery but was quickly outgrown. I dropped Charlotte off with Hank and headed home.

Because I did have an interview with Dick's Sporting Goods. Not to be full of myself, but I could tell the guy wanted to hire me, but I have no retail experience. Still he called me, late in the day to say he would bring me on, but as an hourly manager and he would call me next Friday.

So in theory, I have two job offers, but no job!

Anyhow all this traveling kinda of wore me down and yesterday, I did as little as possible. But I still put in an application with Broad Street Bakery and got my invite for the JFP Best of Jackson party tonight. Why am I invited? No idea, but free food and drink is hard to turn down for an unemployeed guy!

Dawn of a New Day in America

Want to hear three great words? President Elect Obama.

Sounds pretty nice doesn't it. I like it. I have to say I am surprise a little by the election. I voted for Obama, but I really thought the election would be a tighter race. It gives testament to our new commander and chief. Last night NPR was talking about how Obama electrified the electorate. That African Americans, Latinos, and the young all came out to vote for Obama in record numbers. I can see that. Back in the 1990s, some one said about Bill Clinton, "The things that get you elected are also the things that get you laid." While crude, I think this statement has some truth. Obama is cool and that appeals to people. Some say blacks voted for Obama just because he is black, not because they agreed with his politics. But that is okay, because if African Americans voted for him because they saw themselves in Obama, then that is not a wasted vote. But there is more to it than that. The man has brougth something to America that I don't think anyone else has in a long time

Hope.

Through a long strange series of events I ended up in New Orleans, LA. on Tuesday night. While not planned at all, I can't now think of a better place to have watched the returns. We, Becca and myself, watched in a small bar in downtown NOLA. You must remember New Orleans was deeply screwed over by the Bush administration and by extension the Republican Party. Still NOLA is deep in the GOP south, so it was no surprise the Louisana went Republican.
But even there, where they are still trying to recover, you found a sense of hope and new beginnings. I watched a man run down Canal Street carrying an American Flag, yelling "God Bless America!"

I wish my grandparents where still around, so I could ask them if this feeling for renewal was what it was like when FDR was elected. I want to talk to my parents and see if these new spirit was there when JFK was elected, or when MLK was leading the civil rights movement. Because last night, in my mind, Obama joined those leaders(hopefully his term will end better than JFK or MLK). Obama seems to be a uniter, his multiculturalism has help bridge gaps that the Bush administration have caused with our allies in Europe. Today in Kenya was national holiday, because Obama's father was from Kenya. That is pretty influential. The real question now become how with his popularity effect the Middle East conflicts?

To this we should remember John McCain. I don't have any bad feelings for John McCain. I hope Obama keeps his word about working with the opposition. I even hope that President Obama would make McCain Secretary of State. Because right now we don't need to lose anyone.
I would like to see McCains continued involvement as not just an outreach to Republicans but to use all the experienc of McCain and Biden to help our new President.

McCain had few problems in this election. First he always seemed to come off as mad. If the McCain who showed up on Saturday Night Live a few days ago, had been running the whole time I think he would have stood a better chance. The second ,and most serious to me, was he moderated his position so much to fit in with the party line and Bush administration, that he lost what really made him a maverick. I never heard anything about national service or vetereans rights. Lastly, Palin. If you are not a extreme right wing fundamentalist, Palin scaried the shit out of you. I know she was brought in to help bring that extreme right wing side into help McCain, but she scaried off any moderates and independants McCain may have had.

Still for all our good feeling and high hopes, the real work is about to begin. We are stuck in an economic crisis that isn't going to be solved over night, in six months, a years or two. We are stuck in two wars, with potentally new ones on the horizen. The test of this president isn't going to be the election but how he solves the problems that we face as a nation. We have faith in you sir, but we are watching.