Congratulations USA

After the last eight years, can you imagine a better blessing?

This is why I’d choose them, if I had to choose a religion

I wrote a rant about Prop. 8 a couple of days ago, and now I just read The Buddhist Blog’s post on the same subject. I won’t go into too much detail about the post itself, except that I agree with it. I’m posting a quote here (the last paragraph, actually) but it links to the entire post, so you can hit and read the original. Enjoy it.

How twisted have some religious veins become that some people are using them to deny people basic happiness and love in a world that is so full of suffering. Why would we want to cause even more suffering by denying people the right to marry the person that they want to share their life with? Shouldn’t we be applauding people who want to commit to honor and cherish each other in this world of hatred, isolation and division? Without love for each other I ask, “What chance do we have as a species?”

“Your silver grin still sticking in…” (Bush)

All your mental armor drags me down
nothing hurts like your mouth

Do onto others as you would want done onto you. For the pious, you know exactly what those words mean. For those who have a god up in the clouds, you know that you are supposed to love your neighbor. But Christians these days are anything but Christian. The majority are venomous hate mongers who would rather see the world on fire than to allow love to flow down the streets because the greedy shits that they are, they think it’s only available to a certain group, namely them. I watched this country in the throes of change, but rather we only received a small amount of change as the country is ready for a black president, but is not ready for two men to be married – or two women at that.

I am not a celebrity. I am not a newsman. I am not a Christian. Nor am I a homosexual. I’ve known a few homosexuals in my life, and I love them dearly – well, the ones who I called my friends, at least. Man and woman a like can wake up one morning and realized that their whole lives are a sham because of one stupid stigma that this country holds: Marriage is between a man and a woman. Really, because growing up I was always told when two people are in love, they get married. My mother, the priests, the CCD teachers all seemed to have ignored the man and woman fact back with it was a “problem.”

But what problem exactly? Suddenly it became really cool to hate homosexuals because President Bush up in the White House created a quagmire and had to shift the focus of attention from his mistake to a constitutional amendment that disallows the marriage between two people of the same sex. That’s all great and all, but I thought this was the land of dreams – the all American Dream (to be happy and to be prosperous) – a land of freedom – isn’t that a part of our national anthem? But this boils down, like most politics, not on the morals of a group of people, but the beliefs of a religions people.

The way we break if there’s something we can’t take
Destroy the world that we took so long to make

I accept the fact that those who created our country were religious, but those who came to it were in pursuit of religious freedom. It is written down in our history that all men were created equal. It was written in our history that the church and state would be separate. Many of you seem to have forgotten it by enforcing ridiculous laws like Prop. 8. You will hinder a group of people to share the same love are you so you can be deemed good in the eyes of your god. If your god doesn’t believe in love, then your god must not be a very good god after all. And it sickens me that he could ever create something as vile and disgusting as hate mongers like you.

But those of you who don’t claim a religious reason for wanting a law that doesn’t permit homosexuals to marry, you say it’s because of the sanctity of marriage. I ask you this, what sanctity? Divorce rates are higher in believers than it is in nonbelievers, affairs of religious people stumbles upon the news whenever they’re revealed, and there’s the shotgun marriages that pollute our politics because an abstinence only politician’s daughter finds herself pregnant during the time her mother’s running for vice president. Is that the sanctity that you want to salvage. Maybe it’s time that we give the homosexuals a try at it while the rest of you attempt to fix your own problems.

Beware of those who want to harm you
And drag you down to a lower game
Just know the truth is coming
To bring peace to this troubled land

Now, I’m not much of an activist because I’m way too lazy to get arrested and I like my clean record. But I do boast those who are activists and hold them in high regard. Activists stand for change. Without them, blacks wouldn’t be able to vote, women wouldn’t be able to vote, people wouldn’t be anything further than separate but equal. The activists out there marching in the streets advocating change in this country that has for so long held several groups of people down by abusing their powers and their money.

And that’s the problem with the country – not that there are few activists, but that we have now given way too much authority on the end-times morons who are at their pulpits spitting venom and donating money to prejudice laws. I cannot say anything further than this: You cannot define freedom as giving rights to one group of people, while denying it to another. It was wrong during the time of slavery; it was wrong during the early 20th century; it was wrong to deny the marriage of two people of opposite sex to marry because of the difference in their skin; and it is wrong still to deny two people the same rights and love that you so dearly possess because it is in your mind disgusting, sinful and wrong. That is not freedom. That is the same vile thought that was founded by hatred and not by love of almighty, all benevolent creator.

And here’s Keith Olbermann holding the same values as I do, but getting it across way better:

On Sarah Palin

So I’m watching the cable news channels as I’m wont to do in the days leading and leaving election day. Actually, I’m always watching the news channels because I’m a nerd that way and I have to stay in touch with what’s going on outside my window, even though the Rio Grande Valley is only ever mentioned when some nut sees Jesus on glass or on a tortilla. I digress. The topic of conversation on most “liberal” channels (I don’t believe in a liberal media because all the liberal media news channels has a Lou Dobbs, a Glenn Beck, Tucker Carlson, etc.) is Sarah Palin.

Personally, I note Sarah Palin to be John McCain’s downfall because she was never a step forward for women, never well read (even though she claims to read all the newspapers), and was completely out of right field as no one knew who she was. I knew why the McCain camp chose her instead of someone like Kay Bailey Hutchinson (because Hutchinson announced her retirement, as I was told in the hospital by my aunt) – she’s a looker. She was eye candy. And she was a heaven-sent because they were only thinking about disgruntled Hilary Clinton supporters who had lost their way because they insisted that Barack Obama cheated, when her track record in South Texas wasn’t all that clean.

Palin, on the other hand, wasn’t a Hilary Clinton, or a Kay Bailey Hutchinson – hell, she was more like that contestant on that beauty pageant – was it Miss America? you know the one I’m talking about, the one where she just rambles on and doesn’t say anything coherent. Though I see Palin more of something like Balrog – you’ll have to be a nerd to get that one. She was something the greedy Repulicans dug up and now that she is released, she will never go back into the shadows from which she came. We’re gonna need a Gandalf.

The question that is lingering up in the air about Palin is what’s in store for her in the future? Can we see her as a Senator? Can we see her as a presidential candidate in 2012? Or would we rather see her vanish from the political public eye and become just as invisible as Joe the Plumber will most likely become despite his embrace of sudden fame? Personally, I would rather have her vanish and a new woman emerge from the ashes, one that is actually intelligent enough to follow a game plan, keep her mouth shut when something stupid wants to get out, and actually has some sort of experience rather than being a governor from Alaska who can see Russian from her house.

So, what Republican or Democrat will pick up the staff and strike the earth before her and say, “Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass?”

Just think of the Orcs as Hilary supporters who went to the dark side because Obama was nominated.

Update: There’s a lot of hoopla in the conservative side of the atmosphere and they too blame Palin for McCain’s lost. This reminds me of something I wrote a while back predicting that McCain  was going down so they convinced him to pick Sarah Palin so that a) they have someone to blame when he loses to Barack Obama and b) they can have a few laughs along the way cos doesn’t she look just like Tina Fey? How can this not be good?

But now civil war has spilled in the GOP and the naysayers are all blaming Palin for McCain’s lost that the poor “barracuda” has now become a piranha – maybe they mean pariah.

And while I’m sitting here writing this, I remember there is one Republican that I know who seems to praise Palin for some unknown reason. I can’t understand why, though because she brought nothing to the plate other than the fact she was a woman, which is a shitty reason to think that she has brought something to the plate. Sure, having a woman VP would’ve been a first, but I’d rather have one who knows that Africa isn’t a country, but a continent and which countries signed into NAFTA. I’d rather have a VP who knows what magazines and newspapers she’s read rather than giving that old middle/high school/college lie of “Oh I read them all.”

For even considering Sarah Palin as a step forward for the woman’s movement is proving that people have no idea what the hell the women’s movement was for.

The Next Day

I woke up early today. The intial giddiness of President-Elect Barack Obama was still lingering in my body. Yesterday, the citizens of this great country made their choice and that choice was change. To be frank, I was already preparing myself for an all nighter so that when I called The Professor (we were keeping tracks of the elections online and on TV over the phone), her first question was, “It’s over already?” I called during McCain’s concession speech, which he did wonderfully.

My brother called me after MSNBC and CNN had called it, but I said that even though the projected winnings showed Obama in lead, things seem to happen that steals our hope. Yes, I ws a doubter and I beg your forgiveness. But the moment they cut away to McCain walking on that stage to the podium and gave his speech, I couldn’t believe that the words, the actions, the moment was all real. I wanted to pinch myself because at 10:30PM (I’m in Central Time), John McCain threw in the towel, knowing that there was no way in hell that he was going to make this and the Democrats took back the country.

My aunt called afterwards to ask me if I was happy. I said yes and she replied, rather gloomy, “Yeah. So am I. Somewhat. He’s old. He should’ve had a chance.”

“Yeah,” I said. “He should’ve. I liked him at one time. And I would’ve continued liking him if he didn’t lose touch. And then he had to go and pick her as his running mate and that pretty much ruined things for him.”

“Yeah, I know. She’s an idiot.”

“Indeed.”

This morning, however, after the cheers of having a new president, I realized that now I would have to face all my conservative friends who were rooting for McCain/Palin. I don’t have many of those that I have to face in person anymore, but I do have a few people who picked on me because I was voting for the least experienced one – their words, not mine. The question I had before updating all of my networking sites was: Do I rub it in their faces, or do I play nice? I know, had it been McCain up there accepting the presidential-elect title, they wouldn’t let me live in it down. But I’m a better person that way, so I simply showed that I was happy that Obama won. I didn’t go around saying things otherwise. Until an old friend from high school stupidly posted this on a Myspace bulletin:

I wonder when I go back to Iraq they are going to charge me with all the bullets since the funding is going to be shifted from the military the people that are willing to fight and die for there country to the people who want to suck it dry.

I was a little put off with this because I’ve known this guy for a while, and while he hasn’t been the brightest person in my small circle back in the day, I cannot believe that he would be so stupid as to make such an assumption. That annoyed me. And then I saw this by another one of my friend:

Please report 2 the white house we have a man in the oval office who is trying 2 take away ur right 2 have a firearm and wants 2 disban the military

Again, another friend whose ignorance surprises me. People always have this to say about Democrats who are running for president – they want to steal our guns and disassemble our military. While, and I’m going to say this nicely, Republicans want to put our military in harms way for no good reason other than to pursue personal goals and vendettas. And the guns thing annoys me because Republicans want to keep guns out of the hands of the nonwhites because the nonwhites are the ones who kill, maim, rob the whites. However, you never hear anyone complaining about that because the nonwhites don’t know any better (and no, I’m not being condescending, that is exactly what the Republicans would like you to believe).

Because the latter friend is solely an internet friend, his words don’t have much effect of me. To my high school buddy, however, I posted the following:

I hate to disagree, but

We are not trying to suck the country dry. Nor are those in Iraq fighting for their country. Iraq was just a personal vendetta as there was never any evidence to say any different. We’ve been through so many different reasons for being there that I forgot which one we’re on. Rather than aiding the “war on terror” we aided and bred more terrorists.

Barack Obama as president only ensures us a great change in this nation. Perhaps one that will end the quagmire of a war and actually focus on the real terrorists responsible for the atrocities of 9/11. Perhaps not. But the country has spoken and no matter where you stand, you’ll have to deal with it.

With that being said: I want pie.

Yes, even in a moment of seriousness, I do have to make my joke.

President Barack Obama

Today America has redeemed itself and not PUMA, no moron, no conservative, no racist, no backwards asshole can take that away from us. When I voted for Barack Obama, I was not voting for myself because I’m a liberal – I do have the tendency to vote Republican as well at times – but because I was voting for the right guy for the job. I didn’t see it as black and white, old or new, smart or dumb, experienced or Palin, I was see it as the right person for the job. 

I was never the prouder to see McCain concede, though I was upset that he was booed at when Obama’s name was mention. I was glad to hear Obama’s acceptance speech. The road to the White House is paved with glory and the glory is ours. 

Come January, the United States of America will begin to heal the wounds that were opened by a stupid cowboy president who shouldn’t have been there to begin with. Perhaps McCain should’ve been the president eight years ago, but his own party stabbed him in the back. I’m sorry to see that a man who should’ve been president once again saw his dream dim. But when a person’s time has passed, there isn’t much you can do about it. 

So again, tonight is not just for the Democrats, or the liberals, or those who didn’t pout in the corner’s, crossed armed because Hilary didn’t win, but it belongs to all of us. And a dream has become reality.

Vote Vote Vote!!!

So I just voted, how about you? I don’t care who you’re voting for – personally, I voted for Obama – but I do care if you vote or not. So get out there and vote! Otherwise, you better not be bitching about the president for four years.

Amigos de Obama

Jenn sent me this as a Myspace comment and it would be asshole of me if I don’t share it with you.

Hey, Texas, early voting started today.

Hey Kanye, Bush (Administration) doesn’t care about brown people too

I wish I had a link to refer you to the whole story, but if you live in South Texas, you’re just going to have to scavenger for the article yourself.

Juan Casada is missing half his home. The kitchen’s caved-in roof illuminates the three-bedroom trailer and brings other damages to light. He’s lived here in far north San Juan for two years without incident, until Hurricane Dolly tattered this South Texas region known as The Delta. You can smell the mold, visible on the living room ceiling, and hear the constant drip of water on the floor.

“The floor went to total waste, along with all my kitchen appliances,” Juan said pointing to the mold-black floor. “The inspector said that my house was still livable. How? You tell me. My family is spread out, and we have been living on sandwiches for two-weeks,” he said in August after being denied assistance by FEMA.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that the condition of his home was livable when the agency denied his application for help. The inspection report stated that Casada’s home didn’t have sufficient damage for needed assistance.

from “The homes they built and FEMA deferred” by Mary Nichols. South Texas Nation Issue #4. (Emphasis is mine)

While not at all compared to Katrina, it is unsettling that many people were turned away – “Out of 36,000 requests for FEMA’s help, nearly 23,000 have been denied. That’s about 80% of all applicants.” I don’t know about you, but it’s sickening how they’ll go around and say that the houses themselves were probably damaged before Dolly hit. That makes about as much sense as paramedics saying, “Nah, he had AIDS before he was shot. There’s no use helping him.”

John McCain doesn’t care that women can die…

Mr. Russert: “A Constitutional Amendment to ban all abortions?”
McCain: “Yes Sir.”
Mr. Russert: “But, Senator, women across the country would say, prior to Roe v. Wade, hundreds of thousands of women a year went to back alleys to have abortions.”
McCain: “I understand that.”
Mr. Russert: “Many died.”
McCain: “I understand that.”

Don’t worry. I think he’s just bitter at the realization of his mistake.

(transcript)