Opinion Page

Today's rant:

Ok, so this is what I'm wasting my time on, rather than looking for a job. A couple of things today are eating away at me, so rather than be a ranting lunatic, I can look like a concerned citizen and document things here for the world to see.

Dixie Chicks, or another CD that can be used as a coaster? The Dixie Chicks are making a stir by telling a British audience that they are embarrassed that President Bush hails from Texas, the same state as they are. Considering how well Bush has held up in the face of the worst attack on U.S. soil, and the fact that he has weathered a fire storm of controversy over the Iraq situation, the Palestinian situation, and is handling the War on Terror well, I have to say that even though I am not a Republican, that so far he has done a rather good job. I personally would like to see him get out of the business of trying to legislate religious ideas, and see him reduce if not eliminate income taxes, but that won't happen from a Republican. The Democrats have even less of a clue. They think that it's fine to keep redistributing income at a maddening pace, like Robin Hood on crack. Their lust for other's income is never quenched. Back to those Chicks. They have money. The have prestige. They have great voices, and musical talent. But when it comes to political commentary, I haven't exactly witnessed great credentials. What exactly qualifies them as political experts? Is it their lengthy careers in political service? Maybe it's their years in the business world as economic experts? Why is it that once people get some money in their pockets, they suddenly think that (a) everyone wants to hear their opinions, and (b) they suddenly are "all wise" in the ways of the world? The biggest case of this (no pun intended) is Rosy O'Donnell. if ever there was someone who needed a cork in their pie-hole, it was definitely her. Why anyone ever listened to anything she said is beyond me. She is the most self-serving, biased twit I've ever seen. Judging from her personal choices, she's no one to serve as a model for anyone else. She wants to have kids without the benefit of pro-creation, raise a child without a father. Does that seem like good decision making to you? There is currently a lot of Hollywood personalities like Martin Sheen who think that his opinion on foreign affairs matters. I think he's lost himself in his television role, and someone needs to yank his head out of a void surrounded by muscle and tell him he's just another working slob, not someone wise in the ways of the world. Being a celebrity doesn't mean that you're smart or knowledgeable (just ask Rosy O'Donnell). Carrot Top (my buddy) made a movie, did television shows, and still does commercials (sorry, but they suck, dude) - do you think we should ask his views on Iraq? I love him to death, but I would sooner ask a Magic 8-Ball than Carrot Top about Iraq.

The Jewish lobby does it again. Representative Jim Moran, mentioned in yesterday's rant, has been unfrocked by Nancy Pelosi. Although Pelosi has socialist beliefs, little regard for personal responsibility, and is a threat to the prosperity of this great Nation, she has done the right thing. Moran is an ass-clown. Plain and simple. His views are echoed by many (including Mel Gibson's father, who would also have us believe that the Holocaust never happened, and David Duke). If you want to believe that they faked 15,000,000 deaths, delude yourself all you want. The Jews are used to being picked upon. We're experts at being targets. That being said, we still survive. Even more horrifying to our enemies, we THRIVE when picked on. Remember the Six Day War?

Lexmark should learn from IBM. Oh, that's right. They were a part of IBM. After Lexmark filed suit against a number of companies that make replacement toner for their printers, one of the companies, SCC, has fired back a salvo. To summarize, Lexmark used another of Congress' bad laws, the DMCA (from 1998), to file a lawsuit against the companies that make replacement cartridges for their printers. Here's how it works. Congress, seeking to make it easier for the billionaire record companies to extract more money from persons like you and me who want to listen to Metallica (or Manhattan Transfer, or Beethoven, whatever you fancy), enacted legislation to make it harder for you and I to "steal" music by downloading it using software like Napster, or copying CDs from our friends. So, they passed some broad, all-encompassing legislation to "fix" the problem. Now, Lexmark has picked up on this by embedding a chip in the ink and toner cartridges that does nothing other than create a link with printer. Oh yeah, it also creates a "proprietary" technology which allows them to sue people who want to make a lower-cost alternative to their marked-up toner and ink that nets them high profit margins. The chip serves no other purpose. SCC has fired back with an anti-trust lawsuit. I hope they kick Lexmark in the balls. This is why I NEVER buy a Lexmark product. I am biased toward HP. They give me great service, and they have great quality products. I am still using the LaserJet 4L that I bought in 1994. If HP joins Lexmark's lawsuit, I might drop them too. Quality is no substitute for integrity. Lexmark makes low quality printers that cost too much to begin with. They charge (just like HP and Epson) large sums of money for ink and toner. That's how come you can buy a new printer for $40 today - they know you're stuck buying their ink and toner forever at whatever they want to charge you - UNLESS third-parties manufacture a respectable product at a reasonable price, in which case you have choices. Lexmark doesn't want you to have choices. I say fuck them. Now for my Libertarian rant: Congress keeps making bad laws that they say need to be fixed with... (are you following me?) MORE laws. If these knuckleheads would stop trying to fix every damn industry with more laws, maybe market pressures would regulate the industries without interference. Air travel is another industry that needs to learn this lesson. Every time an airline files for bankruptcy, I cheer. Unions have hindered or blocked any path to success for the major airlines. Notice that every successful airline has no (or minimal) union involvement. Does anyone ever publicly say why?

Creation Scientists suck. I just watched Penn & Teller's Bullshit show on Showtime. They covered the Cobb County (GA) School Board's vote on teaching Creationism in government schools as "science". First of all, I'm glad I moved from that county. Never have I seen so many under-educated morons who try to come off as high-brow because they live in expensive houses and attend popular churches. News flash: having money doesn't make you smart (see my comments on Rosy O'Donnell above). They actually had a "creation scientist" (anyone know what the definition of oxymoron is?) explain that the Grand Canyon was formed a couple of thousand years ago in a single event when a natural dam burst and water rushed through and carved a 5,000 foot deep chasm in a day or two. Granite doesn't carve that easily. That's why they use it for expensive kitchen countertops. I've noticed that the creationists oppose the teaching of evolution "theory" as fact because they claim there's no factual proof, but they claim their only proof for teaching creationism is what they've read in the Bible (which is a Jewish document, but the Christians claim it as theirs anyway). They claim that what's written in the Bible is fact. Now, before you get all fired up, remember this: there's at least 20 different versions of this 'fact', many of them disagree with each other, and it wasn't written in English. If it was an absolute fact, it wouldn't have differing versions of the "Truth" now, would it? Since the Bible was written in Hebrew, translated to Aramaic, then to Greek, then to German and Latin, and later to English, how do they even know they're looking at the original words? Almost every Christian I know doesn't even know the Commandments accurately. According to religious experts, the Commandment against stealing doesn't refer to the taking of property. It refers to kidnapping. All of the 10 Commandments deal with issues involving crimes against persons. All property-related Commandments are in a different section of the Bible. There are over 600 Commandments too, there's not just 10. If you're not going to follow them all, why bother? God will still think you're a pud. So, while preparing your sacrifices properly, remember that the Earth isn't 5,700 years old. If you believe that, please send me all of your money and your voter's registration card. You shouldn't be trusted to make your own financial decisions, and PLEASE don't vote. We have enough idiots elected already (see my comments about Jim Moran above).

PETA can choke on my steak. I found a great link from fellow blogger Meryl Yourish. She is declaring today (March 15th) International Eat an Animal for PETA Day. I followed her suggestion and sent her letter to PETA to protest the ad campaign which compares eating meat to participating in the Holocaust (have these people no shame?), and got the following response in a form-letter email from PETA:

Thank you for offering your thoughts on our "Holocaust on Your Plate"
Campaign. I want to explain further why we decided to do this campaign
and why we think it's so important.

As a Jew, and on behalf of the Jewish people in the PETA office, some of
whom came up with the idea for the creation of this project, please let
me assure you that the intention of the display is to decrease the
amount of cruelty in the world, not to minimize the human suffering that
occurred during the Holocaust.

It might help for you to know that this project is funded by a Jewish
philanthropist who has spent the last 25 years working with prominent
Jewish organizations that highlight the atrocities that took place
during the Holocaust. This donor is one of many compassionate people who
recognize the moral and ethical imperative of making the public aware of
the parallels between what was done to Jews and others in World War II
and what is being done to animals kept in intensive confinement systems
and slaughtered for food today.

The concept of our campaign originated with Nobel Prize-winning Yiddish
author and vegetarian Isaac Bashevis Singer, who said, "In relation to
[animals], all people are Nazis; for [them], it is an eternal
Treblinka." As you may know, Singer fled Europe as the Nazis were coming
into power and lost most of his family in the Holocaust. He became a
vegetarian as a result of what he lived through and what he saw. He
spoke out in favor of vegetarianism until his death in 1991. His
argument was that it doesn't matter who the victims are-we must speak
out against all atrocities and cruelties and help to stop them.

While the exhibit is shocking and very hard to look at, please consider
visiting our Web site MassKilling.com, where you'll read what many
Holocaust survivors and their families have said about the fact that it
is not only appropriate, but necessary to learn from the Holocaust and
apply these lessons to help the weakest among us today: the animals. We
honor victims of the Holocaust by remembering what they went through,
doing our part to lessen violence on all levels, and by making sure that
we learn from this history.

As a child, I read about and studied the Holocaust, and one of the
things that has stuck with me for years has been the stunning reality
that as 11 million people were spit on, mocked, beaten, and gassed,
millions more-those who were not in fear for their lives-looked on and
let it happen because it didn't affect them directly. PETA is asking
people to stop this from happening today.

Most animals raised for food each year in the United States live on
"factory farms," where to maximize profits, producers raise the most
animals in the least amount of space possible. Overcrowded in small
cages or stalls, most never see the sun, breathe fresh air, or feel
grass beneath their feet. Frightened infants are torn from their
distraught mothers. Chickens have their beaks cut off; cows have their
horns pulled from their heads; pigs are castrated-all without
painkillers. Then these animals are crowded into filthy, slippery
transport trucks in all weather extremes and taken to slaughterhouses
where they are strung up by their legs and have their throats slit-often
in full view of each other. The entire time, these self-aware animals
live and die in fear and pain. All we are asking people to do is
consider and reject what animals are being forced to go through every
day just because people don't relate to them.

Dr. Helmut Kaplan, a scholar and philosopher, said, "Our grandchildren
will ask us one day: Where were you during the Holocaust of the animals?
What did you do against these horrifying crimes? We won't be able to
offer the same excuse for the second time, that we didn't know." The
Holocaust happened because people turned a blind eye to cruelty. Will we
now turn our backs on cruelty and injustice again? Every time a person
sits down for a meal, he or she chooses whether to support the holocaust
against animals or to help end it. We shouldn't choose which atrocities
to oppose. As human beings, we should oppose all atrocities.

The idea that just because animals are different or can't speak for
themselves, they shouldn't be considered living, breathing, sentient
beings worthy of life is the same mindset that allowed the Holocaust to
happen. Philosopher Theodor Adorno, a German Jew who fled Nazi Germany
in the 1930s, wrote, "Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a
slaughterhouse and thinks: they're only animals."

I hope this helps to clarify the rationale behind this campaign. Please
do let me know if you have further thoughts or questions. To learn more
about Judaism and vegetarianism, please visit JewishVeg.com.

Sincerely,

 

 

Matt Prescott
Youth Outreach Coordinator
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

I hated their form letter so much, and was so insulted, I sent them this reply, to which I've had no response (yet):

Since you are so fond of bringing up all of the Jewish references, I too am a Jew, and I shudder to think what my dead family members would think of your comparison of animals who were bred for food and sentient people who were systematically starved, beaten, tortured, gassed, burned, shot, stabbed, injected with cancers, baked, and suffocated to be even beyond your limits of "good taste". I find no similarities between the two, and the fact that a few Jews believe in it IN NO WAY signals acceptance of your terrorist views by the Jewish people as a whole.

If you are truly Jewish (and I am not considered to be "truly Jewish", since I am not a practicing Jew, and I married outside of my faith), then you are aware of the several commandments which deal with instructions for eating meat. Eating meat is not only biologically established as a historical evolutionary path for our species, but our digestive tracts are made for consuming it, along with other foods. The fact that there are strict rules for the consumption of meat products within the Kashrut are further proof that being Jewish doesn't make you a vegetarian. Quite the opposite, it makes you an omnivore.

If you wish to wave names at me referencing famous vegetarians, let me wave a few meat-eating proponents at you: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, John Locke, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton are but a few of the hundreds of millions of Americans who have proudly eaten meat without shame.

Since you care so much about so many [animals], I care too about something - Liberty. I believe that every person in this Country should feel that they can do what they want and eat what they want, as long as they don't break the laws that we all agree upon as necessary. People who enjoy a steak are not murderers, they are hungry. As long as I don't shoot your cow, you shouldn't have any effect upon the creatures within my property. But, if you must know, I have a dog and several fish. All are treated with the utmost of care. My dog probably eats better food than you do. And I can guarantee a lot of meat is in it, too.

I hope to include you in my blog later, as another example of a group of people who think that their opinion should be made to triumph over all others. Pat Buchanan, David Duke, and you are a lot alike. That's something that turns my stomach.

If you don't want to enjoy a nice steak, don't worry - I'll eat one for you too. But don't you DARE think that you have ANY Right to prevent me from enjoying my dinner.

Tomorrow is International Eat a Steak for PETA day. I intend to have a 20 oz. ribeye on the grill. If you want to graze for dinner, be my guest. I respect your Freedom to eat what you want. Keep your paws off of my plate.

If PETA responds, I'll post it here.

Two-drinks come complimentary with First Class. Some nit-wit steward (I hate the term "flight attendant" - they're not attending a flight, they're serving drinks) for Northwest Airlines (didn't they have the drunk pilots in Miami recently?) gave a woman with a screaming baby some juice with Xanex in it. The steward, who was apparently fired in December, was also charged with illegally importing Xanex and Vallium from outside the U.S. I hope that ass-clown gets gonorrhea of the ass. Don't send me emails about that. I know it's not a real illness. But it should be.

Saddam a go-go. That asshole just gave $25,000 to the family of a Palestinian homicide bomber. For that reason alone, we should send a 20-megaton nuclear weapon at this ass. Hey, we developed that new MOAB weapon - I've got 21,000 pounds of high-explosive for his $25,000 donation. Saddam needs to die. Not just sent to exile, or tried in court. He needs to die. Enough said.

Chop down a tree and save our planet. It looks like Ronald Reagan is vindicated again. He said in the 80's that trees contributed to harmful nitrous oxides that contribute to ground-level ozone. Environmentalists aren't going to like that pine trees emit as much or more pollutants than companies and cars in this country. To all you Global Warming nut-bags, the 2-billion-year trend on the planet is one of COOLING OFF, not getting hotter. The evidence for Global Warming is flawed, and the proponents are mainly not scientists. All the talk of "greenhouse gasses" increasing the Earth's temperature goes against the evidence. Temperature readings that support this were taken at airports, which saw increased traffic, which influenced the findings. Also, Mt. Pinatubo erupted and spread enough high-level ash to block enough sunlight to reduce the Earth's temperature the EXACT same amount in less time. There's something called "stasis", in which for every force, there is an opposing force which counteracts the other force. We are arrogant if we think that we can so easily alter the Earth's climate without the Earth countering our actions with natural phenomena.

If you have ideas, comments, or criticisms, please let me know.

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