Blowing Your Top

Just Who Is Evil?

So, matey, a liberal is ya, eh? An environmentalist too? Surely ye will burn for that!

To all the world, I would like to say that I am extremely proud to be called an "environmentalist" and "liberal." Liberal comes from the Latin word that means FREE, as in free-thinker. As we continually see, the vast majority of the GOP are NO THINKERS. Rupert Murdoch keeps these folks pump up on mindless TV entertainment and hand spun news, turning their brains into mush. Our American education system, a servant to industry, also works to keep the population "dumbed down."

These no-thinkers are a giant clone army, and the men behind the curtain know just how to activate them to get them to the polls to elect more GOP opportunists. The formula is simple: Scream "abortion" or "gay marriage" to get the clone masses worked up and to the voting booths. Talk about electing moral, Christian politicians, who are actually the lapdogs of industry. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle are perfect examples of politicians who have exploited this formula. "I AM MORAL" they scream, "ABORTION IS BAD" they shout. Then the mindless masses vote them in, and they, in turn, give the keys of government to the industrialists so that the workers and the environment can be screwed even more.

The puppet masters continually work the fear button to manipulate the masses. First it's the terrorist scare with talk of sleeper cells, then there is the fear-mongering with immigration -- "Run oh ye Right Wingers, for the brown man is going to steal your babies at night" is
their insinuation.

All the while they talk -- and mix -- the love of God and country as they send our young men and women to the killing fields of Iraq, and they secretly perpetuate the war because war is good for the defense industry and international banking cartels.

So call me a LIBERAL and I will feel proud. What a joy it was to run into a group of GOP party members after I had finished protesting against the war rhetoric in 2002. There I was with my sign in hand on the sky bridge at the Cobb Galleria, and there they were -- terrified. For they had never seen a liberal before up close. Their spinmasters had told them that we are evil three-eyed monsters and now, there they were all alone with me. The terror in their eyes was priceless.

Wake up, America, WAKE UP. If you want to see the real enemy, look in the mirror, oh ye Righteous Ones.

Zeitgeist - The Movie

Okay, last week I watched this movie several times. All I can say is "wow."

This is one of the most incredible movies I've ever seen. The flick basically sums up things that I've found on my own from years of research. While Zeitgeist is a complex and powerful video, the one theme that stands out is how our institutions -- religion, government, corporations -- all lie to us and manipulate us. The Big Three institutions also work together to screw us -- the little people, and the world we live in.

As far as religion goes, I can't help but think that everyone would be better off if they didn't turn unproven stories into stated facts. Humans might be less dysfunctional if they shot straight, instead of playing religious mind games with themselves.

In regards to the suggestion that 9/11 was a conspiracy, I don't believe that. Although I'll say that our leaders may have "allowed" it to happen, and once it did happen, they certainly exploited it to the max. They used 9/11 to get us into two wars, and maybe more wars to come.

For me, perhaps the most poignant part of the movie is the last six minutes, where they talk about how we Americans are detached from the environment and how we are intentionally distracted with pop entertainment and "dumbed down" by a U.S. education system that is designed to keep us all ignorant. People like me, who have broken out of the shell and are looking around and going "What the f$*#," well, we will be the first ones to be rounded up and shot.

I do encourage everyone to watch Zeitgeist. If you think it is BS, please share with me the facts to dispute it. I'm checking some of the facts as well.

Global Warming Thoughts

At first I thought the recent column by Robert J. Samuelson was your standard issue tree-hugger bashing article. But the July 25 article, which appeared in The Washington Post, actually has some good points.

Firstly and most importantly, it's almost vain to talk about reducing greenhouse emissions when our human population is skyrocketing. As Samuelson says,

"Even if California achieved its 2020 goal (dubious) and the United States followed (more dubious), population and economic growth elsewhere would overwhelm any emission cuts."

You tell'em, tiger. It's amazing that all these global warming groups talk about compact fluorescent light bulbs and other ways to reduce energy use, but they RARELY mention population. You can get a Prius, insulate your house, give up meat, and install a wind turbine in your front yard, but if you have a bunch of children your savings will be offset -- especially in America where little children are super consumers.

So, I don't want to bore anyone so I'll get right to the chase. Here are three things that Mr. Samuelson says that Congress can do to REALLY help:

• Gradually increase fuel economy standards for new vehicles by at least 15 miles per gallon.
• Raise the gasoline tax over the same period by $1 to $2 a gallon to strengthen the demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and curb driving.
• Eliminate tax subsidies (mainly the mortgage interest rate deduction) for housing, which push Americans toward ever-bigger homes. (Note: If you move to a home 25 percent larger and then increase energy efficiency by 25 percent, you don't save energy).

I especially like the third point, and it's something I hadn't thought about before. Each day, all over America, air conditions are cooling millions of square feet of excess space. Americans have to have their trophy house, "bonus room" and an extra thousand square feet. What an incredible waste of energy. I'll take my modest 1,500-square-foot home any day. I have a few friends and relatives that have huge open spaces over their living rooms. What is the point? Why heat and cool a bunch of space that serves no purpose? That's just nuts.

Okay, you have to read the entire article to understand the last post. You can read it here, at least until they take it down. Now, for the grand hoorah:

"Prius politics is a delusional exercise in public relations that, while not helping the environment, might hurt the economy."

Well said, Robert. You are an all right guy.

The Love of Gun Violence

The strange thing is that I didn't feel much during the recent murders at Virginia Polytechnic. This is the society that everyone wanted — full of handguns and emotionally disturbed people. When you mix those elements together, you get horrible violence.

But I suppose that's what Americans want. So many people say, "Take away our handguns and only criminals will have guns." Well, many criminals STEAL their guns from legitimate owners. And many people get blown away by accidents, domestic rage, etc... So, when you add it all up, I wonder just how many lives are SAVED by making handguns easily accessible to the public.

So, according to today's newspaper, 16,400 people were murdered in the U.S. in 2005. The U.S. fatalities in Iraq are about to hit 4,000 deaths in nearly five years. But in the U.S., that's about how many people are murdered every four months -- most by guns.

Now, I'm not an extremist. I only want to outlaw all handguns, and not hunting or target rifles. And I want to make it harder for people to purchase a rifle.

I am amazed at the obsession people have with "gun rights." In addition to protecting themselves from criminals, folks also say handguns are necessary to protect themselves from their own government.

The funny thing is that the individuals who are the loudest gun rights advocates are typically conservative religious types. How people can reconcile guns and violence with Christianity is beyond me. Jesus said "turn the other cheek" not "reload your weapon." I suppose someone is going to say that Christians have a right to protect themselves. Whatever happened to the humble act of serving as lion food, like in the days of Ancient Rome? How about those Roman soldiers who accepted Christianity, denounced violence, and were executed for their beliefs? Don't believe me, read "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Edward Gibbons.

The bottom line is that the United States is a violent nation, and, obviously, many citizens and political leaders like it that way. We live in a country full of rage and hate and mentally sick people, and handguns are everywhere. This is the perfect formula for, well, lots of violence. Yeah, it's weird.

Fog, Smog, Blog

So, really. As I write this Atlanta, GA is in the worst heat wave that I can remember. Temperatures are hitting 100 degrees and a giant dome of smog is sitting over the city. Day or night, the heat is stifling -- it's terrible!

Little humans all around me are hiding in their houses and putting their air conditions in overdrive. The coal burning power plants that surround the city are breaking new megawatt records as they belch more soot into the sky to keep us comfortable. But the pollution only helps to trap the heat -- it's bad for our lungs, and it really only makes us more miserable.

Highway signs are flashing, "Red Air Quality Alert - Carpool, Stay At Home, Fuel Your Car After 6 p.m." Yet, no one really pays attention. I'm just amazed that no one really "gets it" or really cares.

People are still wanting to buy their big dream cars, apparently not realizing or caring that they are making the problem worse. Preachers still drone on about the Second Coming, yet they make no effort to encourage their flock to drive less.

Folks still buy their trophy houses way out in the countryside and make their 40-50 mile commutes to work, not realizing or caring that that they are part of the problem. Individuals still fuel their cars in the middle of the day. The politicians still do nothing about mass transit as the asphalt lobbyists slip another roll of bills into their hands.

All is normal in our overheated, polluted, dying world. No one really knows what time it is, and no one really cares.

What have I learned from this? I have learned that human behavior is very hard to change. We are locked into our habits and WILL NOT modify them for the common good, or our own good. Folks will still get their big car, trophy house, fuel in the daytime, and resist mass transit. And they won't buy low sulfur gas, carpool, or avoid driving.

So, I have a simple message: Those of you who ARE doing things to help combat global warming and air pollution, I respect you. Those who do nothing are simply part of the problem, and I do NOT respect you. Yes, I know your religion says that this is all part of the last days, but YOU created this problem, not God. YOU trashed God's Creation and now you expect God to come make a rescue mission. Well, let me tell you something buster -- your shoes are mine!