Wednesday, January 31st
A Republican I would vote for...
I would like to see a radical republican run for president. I might even vote for that person if they made these points clear.
Republican platform means less government. I can relate with this idea. Sure it would be great if all of us had health insurance and better schools. But the only choice, would be the government's choice, and I don't know if that is the best idea. The thing about freedom, real freedom, is the ability to change your mind when you want. If you find that the school is lacking in the programs that interest you, you move to another city that has a better program. If your health insurance won't recognize the HIV virus, you choose another provider. China has healthcare for everyone, but suppressed education and denied treatment for it citizens with AIDs for many years. They had no choice but the government health care system, and suffered. Would you only want to read government approved news? Choice is good, so I can understand the importance of less government in a free society.
I want a Republican to re-address drug use as a health issue, not a crime issue. Legalize and monitor drug use. As soon as a crack rock is legal, the price will fall, and the violent gangs competing for the most lucrative industry in America will have to get real jobs like the rest of us. People with drug problems will be treated in hospitals, not jails. Our taxes can be put to better use than putting everyone in prison. There are now 1.5 million people in prisons across the United States, 59.6% for drug offenses. Our country has more of it's population in jail than any other nation, is that a free society? Less government, more freedom.
Same goes with prostitution. Legalize it. Protect these women. Make sure our police keep them safe and make sure they are not contracting or spreading disease. Prostitution has been around longer than the Olympics, it's not going away any time soon.
Bring the war profiteers to justice. End the war, now. Our ALL-VOLLUNTEER military should not be used as leverage in investment opportunities. Our citizens did not join the armed forces to increase Halliburton's business contracts or protect our oil interests. These people truly want to protect us. I haven't seen one fucking Iraqi invading our country. Why are we at war? It's cost us almost 400 MILLION dollars. The Boston Globe estimates the war will reach the bill of 2 TRILLION dollars. This is less government?!?!?! These spineless, prick Republicans today don't know what conservative means. If some country wants to bring us down, come and get us. We'll kick your ass, and I will be right there on the frontline protecting my home. The political motivations to go to war on foreign soil is a disgrace to the people who make up our armed forces!
How about an environmental Republican? Stop clearcutting/managing our wildlife preserves. We set these areas aside to remind us of our roots, leave them be. Also, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why we are in need of healthcare so badly. The country is filled with more disease-producing, synthetic-pollution than ever before. Clean the air, the water and the soil. Once the land is returned to it's natural state, we won't need pharmaceuticals to keep us alive.
Schools are harder to tackle on the Republican platform. I definitely do not think privatization of public schools is a good idea. No Federal government, however, should run all the schools in the US. Schools should be operated by local governments. Plus, I think it's important for parents to be able to choose where their child goes to school. The poor schools will become weaker in this theory, but that seems natural to me. If the Federal government has any influence on education, I would hope it could offer those attending poorer schools with more scholarships and no-interest loans to state universities. It's important to allow the education sector room to explore new ideas, succeed or fail, and rebuild with history to reference. A major factor in the failure of inner-city schools has been overdevelopment of the suburbs (white-flight). Control the boundaries of our cities and our children will learn tolerance and diversity without the teacher's lectures.
The ideas of the Republican party are not all bad, otherwise, the party wouldn't have lasted this long. I hope my argument has been obvious that I believe freedom is based on opportunities and choices. Freedom is the ability to choose, not have your life's decisions made by a Federal think tank. As individuals we learn from our choices, our social institutions should follow this law of evolution.
It's just within my lifetime that the Republican party has been high jacked by vote-grabbing, stock-holding, tough-cowboys-in-the-spotlight but silver-spoon-sucking-spoiled-fratboys behind closed doors. These fear mongers will tell you anything to get your vote, then turn around and send your children off to fight for some freedom-saving, righteous war; when it really is only an aggressive resource-grab that will stuff the wallets of their campaign contributors or fulfill some hyped-up revenge for some racist/religious-motivated, violent act. Revenge is a leadership strategy for the simple-minded, self-conscience hypocrite.
Stick to domestic issues!
I'm calling foul on these psuedo-Republicans!
Chris on 01.31.07 @ 07:37 PM PST [link]
Thursday, January 25th
The shorties
Picture three urnels. The one on the far right is being used, so I used the one on the far left - which happens to be a short urnel. This guy using the urnel on the right feels the need to make a comment on how I needed to use a short urnel. He thinks he's funny, and expresses his delusional superiority over me. Because I used the shortie. What the fuck? Dude, just because I use the shortie doesn't mean I have a little pee-pee. And if I did have a lil' peter, why would that make me less of a man than you? Men are such dumb-asses. Next time some ass-monkey makes a comment on me using a shortie, I'm peeing on him.
Chris on 01.25.07 @ 02:46 PM PST [link]
Tuesday, January 23rd
CLONED FOOD
As 2006 came to a close the Food and Drug Administration approved cloned animal products as safe to consume. Stephen F. Sundlof, DVM, PhD, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, announced the FDA's findings at a press conference December 28, 2006. Following suit of the FDA's backwards labeling requirements, no labeling fees or requirements are suggested for foods made from cloned animals. Milk and hamburgers made with cloned DNA will sit side-by-side with natural and factory farmed foods. Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), introduced legislation this week that would require clear labeling of food products derived from cloned animals.
There are so many hot topics related with this headline, it's hard to begin wrapping one's mind around it. First, there are health issues. The first cloned animal lived just over half it's average lifespan. Dolly, the cloned sheep born in 1996 suffered from arthritis and lung disease usually seen in much older animals. This animal was put down after living only 6 years. If newborns are fragile and more susceptible to disease, how vulnerable are cloned animal cells? Cloning is still more natural than genetic engineering. Although the animal is conceived synthetically, it's DNA structure is identical to it's source. Genetic engineering, however, introduces new strains of DNA to the food chain. But that's a different rant.
Because cloning an animal is expensive at $20,000, the practice may be limited to breeders of elite animals. These animals do enter the food supply, but not frequently. Perhaps the most pressing issues I can introduce, have nothing to do with health risks. They have to do with "rights". Something a free society should be concered with. It is obvious that our laws do not grant animals equal rights as humans. They can be imprisoned, forced to do labor and killed legally. Practices that were inflicted on humans just over a hundred years ago. But now, on top of that, animals have lost the right to reproduce naturally. Which overlaps the conflict of a woman's right to choose. I have no idea what it is like to be a woman, but cloning would send me to the streets. Allowing men to reproduce an animal without it's consent while denying a woman the choice not to reproduce, sends off signs of oppression at the core of life itself.
The right to live, die and reproduce are liberties granted to all living things by the Creator (God). Our interpretation and adaptation of these liberties will be a major factor in shaping our future society. We need to talk about these issues from different perspectives and the hypocrisies that result from our policies or lack of thereof.
Chris on 01.23.07 @ 06:05 PM PST [link]
Wednesday, January 10th
The Future
In the future...
1) We will have to pay for clean air.
I don't like it, but that's what the republicans/corporations are steering this world towards. The bosses will continue to pollute the air just like they are polluting our water. In the next ten years, buying a pack of oxygen will be just as common as buying a bottle of water today. Don't like it? Hit the streets, people. Demand our goverment to protect our common resources.
2) Sensory surgery replaces cosmetic surgery.
People will continue to be vain and mold their bodies to look like super models, but the new surgeries will appeal to a broader market. Athletes will start new mutant leagues where participants are allowed to have eyes inserted into the back of their heads and shock absorbers in their ankles. Musicians will have small ears on their hands, cooks with smelling senses on their fingertips and artists with eyeballs who knows where... Shoot, I hope to live long enough to get some wings, too.
3) More monkees
Chris on 01.10.07 @ 08:13 PM PST [link]
Saturday, January 6th
Bike Tour!!
Today was my first day of bike shopping. I'm looking for a strong touring bicycle to take down the Pacific Coast this summer! It's very exciting to think about covering such a long distance entirely on my own energy. I hear that steel frame bikes are best, but they are hard to find and pretty expensive. I may be tromping down logging roads on my trip, so strong rims, spokes and wide tires with tread are also on my agenda. I wish I could bring my laptop but that may be too risky. It sure would be nice to be able to work on my freelance and make it a profitable vacation! Either way, I'm totally stoked for summer and hitting 101 on a beautiful bicycle!!
Chris on 01.06.07 @ 05:54 PM PST [link]