Okay, i cant shut up any longer. My thoughts on Phil Robertson

I am going to start with his supposedly racial comments simply because that loud mouth jesse jackson is trying to capitalize on them, and i just absolutely despise this has-been two bit uppity "community organizer" 

“I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person... The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them," Robertson said. "I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field.... They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!” ~Phil Robertson

That is what he said, so, he related what he saw, his truth. and jessie said this is the most offensive thing he has heard? why?

Is perhaps jessie offended by an observed fact that there are Black people who are happy? or does that just rub him the wrong way because he has to keep black people unhappy in order to remain relevant. 

Jessie went on to say that this was more offensive that he bus driver who asked rosa parks to give up her seat to a white person,  because the bus driver was following state law.  So old Phil was following his own observation and pointing out something that was very positive. How is that more offensive?  I bet jessie never hoed cotton. And perhaps jessie just doesn't understand the joy that comes from an honest days work. 

I just don't get it, Please, Please if you want white Americans to treat blacks with respect, then act respectable Stop trying to create tribal warfare over  nothing. Stop telling us we are somehow not supposed to express the truth, or what we saw, or whatever. Just freaking stop feeding the fire that doesn't exist....

Jessie, in short, act like a reasonable man who actually wants us all to get along instead of like a nigger. 

As for Phil's comments on gays? Who cares, I surely don't. I assure you more people have heard the words quoted from the bible by Phil since you took issue with it than would have read the quote in GQ. Again, he just expressed his belief, just like you do every-time you open your mouth. (ok so I suppose you open your mouths for other reasons)  BUT, the point is, you are  trying to express your views and beliefs by suppressing somebody else. Isn't this what you are trying to stop?  How is that productive, or just?

We will let you have your beliefs if you let us have ours....

I hate to say it jessie but you are the problem, you are the oppressor of your own people, you are the instigator of hate, you are the breeder of racism, after all, who could possibly see you flap your lips (no pun, or slur intended) and believe anything but the idea that blacks are ignorant?

May you all burn in hell... Not for your beliefs or your sexual preferences, or your skin color but because you think everybody else should be censored except you. That is a much greater sin against humanity than racism, homophobia, sodomy, or lynching, or even being a happy black person with a job.

The flight of the Amigdala

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, this is your amigdala speaking. on behalf of all your basil instincts, primal fears and abject faculties I would like to welcome you aboard!. 

Our flight today will depart from the edge of sanity and last anywhere from now to infinity. We have brief stops at insanity,  and incarceration. For those of you continuing on to our final destination of death. denial justification and rationalization will be provided in great quantities at no extra cost.

Our weather today will consist of gloomy overcast with predictions of certain doom. If you can see through the clouds, you will see mountain peaks of the highest highs and valleys so deep you will never see out of them. Beverage service is available for the reasonable price of your soul and consists of indignation over ice. Our fine obsessions will also serve a complimentary  in-flight meal of slow roasted resentment  simmered in a dramatic rage vinaigrette generously ladled over a plate of discontent.

Our in-flight movie is Drama personified directed by satin lives staring you so dumb.  headphones will be provide so you dont have to listen to anyone else.  

It is our sincere desire to make your travels as uncomfortable and anxiety ridden as possible. Please sit back in our custom cradles of misery, ignore the joy all around and let us do the driving.  

A day in the life

As you read this please keep in mind, this is an exercise in truth and illustration NOT an exercise in whining

My first alarm goes off at 4:30 AM. On Mondays, I pop out of bed, but it is Wednesday, so i push snooze a couple times. By 5, I am up and in front  the computer stretching. If I woke up and was not in pain, I would think I was dead. I start my day by reading news, reviewing email, checking my bills calendar and the meager balance in my checkbook. By 5:30 I am in the shower. 

I am a commuter, one of the famed "bridges to nowhere" would have gone to my house, and made my commute 30 miles instead of 68.

A bunch of well organized Democrats in places thousands of miles from Alaska  had to defeat two good Republicans (Ted Stevens and Sara Palin.)  They killed Ted, and they used the Bridges to nowhere as a mantra to discredit Sara. Of-course the people that did this have never been to Alaska, probably never will come to Alaska and if they did, they would not leave the city anyway.  Because of this political machine, myself and 50,000 other people who live out here and cannot afford to live in the city. We didn't get a much needed bridge. 

I am an engineer with 20 years experience, I make a little over 6 figures, I work an average of 70 hours a week plus 15 hours a week commuting. I still can not afford to live in the city. all the affordable housing in the city is subsidized, and I make too much money for subsidized housing. The taxes on my modest house, were it in the city would be about 1000/Month.  

A couple years back, a democratic mayor, stumping for a senate seat made a bunch of backroom deals with the unions. Now the city is strapped with burdensome, over-inflated salaries, pension plans, and Cadillac healthcare. for example, an anchorage rookie cop works 4 days a week has top of the line healthcare and a pension plan at or above his working salary,  and makes more than I do. Teachers are even worse, 9 months a year, 6 hour days, retire at 40. Must be nice.  Oh, and they have time to whine and protest for more. I don't

I am in the truck by 6:00 I can not seem to leave early enough to beat traffic, but I do try. I drive a truck because the roads are sometimes so bad that I can not make it to town in a car. And, sometimes I need a truck. Oh and this country was built on the idea that if you wanted something you could WORK for it and achieve it. I wanted a truck so i worked extra hard for it and bought one. I am punished everyday for this. 

First stop is the gas station where I pay just under 4.00/gallon for fuel. 1.30 of which is tax. another 1.00 of which is artificially inflated costs directly attributable to the administrative costs of developing natural resource. I work in the oil field and I am intimately familiar with how much time and money is wasted placating the environmentalists and paying extortion to the EPA.  these "hidden" costs amount to about 50.00 per tank. I burn 2 or three tanks a week.  Older versions of my truck get close to 30 mpg, My truck is new enough to have all the modern emissions control stuff so it gets about 15 mpg on a good day. Every day I wonder if it is better for the environment to be twice as efficient or to have the emissions control equipment. 

I buy a pack of smokes for 8 bucks, 6 of which are tax so I can pay for schools to teach things to kids that I dont think they should learn like relativism, and diversity. They don't call it that anymore but it is the same thing. and diversity, really? I am paying to tech kids that bad behavior is not bad behavior if it is in the context of some non-existent culture? I am paying to teach kids that breaking the law is ok if it feels good? I am paying to tech kids that perversion is all a matter of perspective, and that there is no right or wrong? Good thing they didn't teach me that!!!

On the way to my job, I pass what must be a FEMA camp under construction. I know this because of all the "Department of homeland security" trucks parked out front, because they are building a guard tower and because nobody knows anything about it. I wonder how much it is costing to build something that will either never be occupied, or will be blown up by the rebels. 

It is dark, the road is covered with ice, This doesn't worry me, what worries me is that 1/2 of the people on the road are under the influence of some mind altering substance, weather it be doctor prescribed opiates, or anti depressants, or worse yet, doctor prescribed marijuana. Ether way, it impairs their ability to drive in already challenging conditions.  This of-course is evidenced by the Subaru's and Priuse's in the ditch all along the way. The rest of us are just tired. 

I turn on the radio mostly to keep awake, the news comes on, The first story is about Detroit declaring bankruptcy. Really? a grand city of industry died because the unions extorted the corporations to the point that they couldn't make a profit. The corporations were the people paying the taxes which in turn was paying the city government (union) employees. When the corporations were driven out, the tax revenue shrunk. Instead of reversing the trend the city instead continued to increase taxes, pretty soon the people moved out also. Now the city has no income but has obligations to the unions etc.

The guy on the street being interviewed is about 55, he is retired and complaining that he is not sure he will be able to afford to live in Detroit any longer, because he is worried that services and his pension will be cut. I guess stupidity is it's own reward. He says "Da city going to pay da banks instead of my pension. da banks don't need no money, dats my money." I am amazed that he made it to 55 without learning that "da money" has to come from someplace. the city doesn't print money, and "da banks" don't got all da money" they lend money and expect to be paid back.

They made a bad choice lending money to the failing Detroit city government and they will pay for it by being repaid pennies on the dollar. Meanwhile Leroy can't figure out how to live on his 70k/ year pension when he is 55 and still young enough to work. And he is worried that there wont be enough of "da police" to keep his neighborhood safe. I wonder if Leroy knows that personal safety is a responsibility, not an entitlement. 

The second news story is about a fast food employee strike by a national union. Who cares? are we not at 10+% unemployment? fire them all and hire new more grateful employees! Ok, I am too frustrated now. I have to turn off the radio. 

I cant help it, I had to leave it on. The reporter was highlighting an Obamacere "success story" and was interviewing Michel. Michel suffers from "post lime disease syndrome" His symptoms include fatigue, lung problems and lack of motivation.   He was able to sign up for Obamacare and is waiting for his eligibility determination. He is not really worried because he stated that " I already have medicare and if I am not eligible for affordable care I will just pay the fine and stay with medicare"  Unfortunately Michel's employer doesn't have enough employees to be required to provide coverage. Fortunately Michel works for a Marijuana dispensary so he does get the care he needs. His symptoms include "fatigue, lung problems and lack of motivation" I vagely remember having those symptoms last time i got stoned...

I can't make this up. I must turn off the radio now...

It only takes me about 50 minutes to get to the outskirts of Anchorage.  Then the challenge begins. You see, the local unions are punishing the city because the new mayor took issue with the sweet heart deals made by the old mayor. So the city workers have declared that it is simply to dangerous to plow snow while it is snowing. so, they wait (on the clock) until the snow stops and they are on overtime to actually do their jobs. 

there is a sign on one of the overpasses that says "fight the greed of the 1%" I always wonder who that 1% is. Is it the 1% of people that work for the city and are responsible for taking down that sign?

My office is cheerful, full of pretentious city dwellers. I am "valley trash" but in a good way. I like the people I work with and the people I work for usually, and when I don't, I suck it up and make it better. after all it is work, and sometimes it must be unpleasant or they wouldn't pay me!

One of the things that I have to do today is take a piss test, or UA as city folks call them. my ego really wants to feel humiliated but then I remember that i am glad the people I work with are generally required to be drug free, It makes it a much safer and more productive place to work. If I were union, I would get 30 days notice so I could clean up before peeing in the bottle but I am not so, i get 30 minutes notice. Thank god my employer actually provides free coffee and water!!!

I wonder why people on public assistance are not required to pee in a bottle? I know as a condition of unemployment I am supposed to look for and be ready for work, and since most employers require UA's these days being able to pass a piss test is part of being ready and able to work.  I guess it's all just to humiliating for the unwed mother with 5 kids from 10 fathers to bear. Kind of like being forced to live without cable or something, oh wait, I cant afford cable, never-mind

Piss test done, and a reasonable assurance that 20 years of sobriety will ensure a good result (no stress) I go back to work. I am analyzing security on a large oil producers network, it seems that some eco-terrorists have been probing them for exploitable loopholes in their network. I wonder who paid for those computers? I wonder who paid for their education? I wonder if they drive cars that require oil? wanna bet they do? hell it even requires a certain amount of hydrocarbons to make their meth and Ecstasy. and electricity to charge their mac-books, etc...

Good thing some of us WORK to make this happen for the 99%

On the way home after a productive day of billable time, there is a story on the radio about how Obama spent the day encouraging the youth to sign up for Obamacare because the young healthy people need to pay for the old sick people. I think Karl marx used different words but not much different. I am old and sometimes sick, and it does me way more good to work for my own care than it does to take a hand out. Keep it, thanks...

Oh by the way, do you think the young invincible s are going to pay up? last count only 18% were even considering it. I guess it is pretty hard to pay a tax when you cant find a job camped out in a city park smoking dope and getting neck tattoos and erotic piercings. 

A bunch of years ago, I had to cut my hair to get a good job, and the pride of taking care of myself and my family far outweighed the loss of personal expression I felt as my pony tail landed on the floor. 

It is about 630. I just got home, I am going to eat leftovers, again. then upstairs to play my guitar a little write a little and pay a bill or two. 

as I climb in bed with a text book so I can keep up with my job, I am reminded of how good I have it. I got over all that immature childish bs and realized that to make it is this world I had to learn to work hard and smart. I had to sacrifice selfish wants, man up and WORK for what i needed, and then what I wanted. it wasn't a handout or a government program that saved me from the streets it, was an honest inventory of my life and a decision to live a righteous and moral life. With that achieved the good life found me. And for that I am grateful!