The Natalia Dilemma

Now, this is going to be a bit more of an emotional post than some, but I thought I would address something that occasionally comes up.  You see, here at UAA, there is going to be a candlelight vigil for Roe v. Wade.  The stupidest possible thing that has ever been done, and it is here at UAA.  Yes, because giving women the rights over their own bodies was such a bad thing, right?  Wrong!

The group who is running this show is called “UAA Students for Life.”  As you might have guessed, they are anti-choice (pro-life).  They believe women should have no choices.  They think that giving a rape victim a way out is just the worst thing to ever happen in this country.  It’s really, really pathetic.  Up until recently, the person who ran this organization was a bigot named Natalia.

There was a class I was in, last year.  She was in it too.  There was a guest presenter who had made a film there.  It was called “In-Laws and Outlaws.”  He was a good presenter, and it was pretty fun, up until Natalia opened her stupid fucking mouth.  Then came all the vitrial about the “gay-agenda” and how he’s “living in sin.”  It was on and on and on, and when everybody turned on her, mostly because of how disrespectful she was being, the teacher lectured everyone else.  Yes, because letting the bigot talk was so good.  Never mind how unbelievably disrespectful she was being.

I have another friend.  She is hardcore Catholic.  I sometimes question why, since I know she is a thinking and analytical person, but I don’t talk about it with her.  Which is ironic because she talks about it with me.  She talks a LOT about the Catholic stuff.  I am kind of proud of myself because I don’t go off the rail about how the Catholic church is a corrupt institution that breeds people like Natalia, along with child-rapists that they protect with their corrupt aristocracy.  But she recently defended Natalia, pointing out that she was actually sorry for what she said.

Here’s the thing – I don’t buy that.  I don’t buy that she feels bad for ANYTHING!  You know why?  Because she has no conscience.  None.  She will stand outside of Planned Parenthood and scream about how those women are whores, and will lambast a guest speaker at a school.  People who do that aren’t people who feel sorry for their actions.  They are people who are proud, and think themselves heroes for the cause.

This is my problem with religion.  What I call the Natalia Dilemma goes beyond her.  It is a term to describe completely bigoted people, that get defended from decent people.  I talked with somebody else I know, who also defended Natalia’s actions, saying that she isn’t as bad as I believe her to be.  But she is.  She is the worst kind of person.

And here’s the truth – it’s her religion that made her that way.  I am DONE not attacking a person by attacking their beliefs.  The fact is that the concepts are intertwined.  And since I can see all the harm that this faith bullshit does, I can immediately attack it by pointing out the people like Natalia.  She’s a Catholic, by the way (big surprise, I know).  The Catholic church.  I recently posted something on Twitter -

Catholicism – committing crimes against humanity, but still getting tax breaks.

And that’s the absolute truth.  This is an organization that is doing deplorable things to people, but almost NEVER getting taken to task for it.   What’s more, their institution defense their actions.  They will defend, to the bitter end, what these people do.  They will make statements like -

It’s just their faith.

No!  Wrong!  It isn’t just their faith.  It is the entire institution of religion.  A lot of people have come out over the years, even among my atheist crowd, and said that religion in and of itself isn’t the problem.  I have caught myself saying that from time to time.  But I realize now that that outlook on things is wrong.

I have no doubt that my Catholic friend must have a thought in the back of her mind that I am going to Hell.  She’s a VERY religious person.  I have no doubt that it has come up a time or two that they are going to go to Heaven, and not see me there.  Maybe that causes them some inner turmoil, maybe not.  The point is, as much as they try to be open-minded, and good-natured, their dogma teaches them things that make no fucking sense.

The biggest problem in the debate with people who are religious about whether or not God is real or whether or not Christianity is true is that I can point out to them, time and time again the problems, the flaws in their arguments, the logical inconsistencies.  I can point out the complete and utter paradoxes of their arguments, but they won’t listen to me.  They won’t even take the time to consider it.  I might as well be talking to a brick wall.

Back to the Natalia Dilemma, the people who fall into this category are almost universally religious.  I haven’t met an atheist yet who takes such a hardline position as she does about how being gay is a sin and how women who get an abortion are whores.  But society comes to their defense.  Quick as you can say it, the people will be out, defending the statements of people like Natalia, because it’s “their faith.”

Faith is the ultimate enemy to social progress.  That’s the truth of the matter.  A person without faith cannot get far in government.  Faith is what leads insane people to do insane things.  And don’t come at me with Stalin.  The difference between him and Bush is that Stalin didn’t let his atheism guide him.  that was just an accessory to his character.  Bush spoke openly about how his faith guided his foreign policy.  His foreign policy!  The LAST thing that religious should have its mits on is what we do in other countries!

The Natalia Dilemma is clear – people who can be as horrible as they want, but get defended by society at large.  They are scum, pure and simple.

Until next time, a quote,

“There’s a tendency to miss the trees for the forest and treat religion as a separate entity from the people it’s composed of.  In truth, the problem of organized religion wouldn’t and couldn’t exist if it weren’t for religious people.”  -Zinnia Jones, “Organized religion” isn’t the problem, religion is 

Peace out,

Maverick

How I would have done the Star Wars Prequels

Well, it’s late, I’m thoughtful, and I don’t actually like fan-fiction, but still, I thought I would talk about something.  I, like all of you, hated the prequels to Star Wars.  We waited so long for the magic to come back, but our waiting was worthless.  It was all a complete farce, and a knife in our backs.  I’m sure a million and one people have writtens posts like these, well so what?!  I am going to add my thoughts to the mix.  So, what would I have done different?  We’re going to be here a while.

Episode I -

I would have changed almost everything.  For one thing, the premise would be completely different.  I would have taken the premise from Episode II and put it here.  The Republic is falling apart.  Star systems are declaring that they have plans to leave the Republic.  The Jedi are losing control of the situation.

Enter our Jedi – Obi-Wan and Yoda.  And Yoda is his master.  You know, in keeping with the canon.  Novel concept, I’m sure.  They are returning to the capital, to debate whether the Republic’s clone army, which up until this point had been simply used to monitor the Outer Ring worlds, which were clearly lawless and often a threat, and use them to help the dismayed Jedi.  And instead of being a whiny bitch, Obi-Wan would have been a reckless and rather daring youth, who annoys Yoda to no end.  He hadn’t gotten the sagacious wisdom from the original films yet.  He’s smarmy, a total smart-ass, but is very skilled.

Speaking changes in character, I would also have made Anakin a young man.  I wouldn’t have started when he was a kid.  Obi-Wan said in the original films that when he met him, Anakin was already the greatest star pilot in the Galaxy.  Here, he would a young smuggler, and not played by Hayden Christensen.  And also, I wouldn’t have gotten rid of Jar Jar Binks.  I would have just made some MAJOR changes to him!  For one thing, his voice would be lower, and he wouldn’t be stupid.  He would be Anakin’s partner in smuggling, and know how to use a gun.  His look I can work with, his character needs some change.

Obi-Wan immediately senses that the Force is incredibly strong within Anakin, and it guides him as a pilot.  Anakin normally doesn’t get involved in the political going-ons of the Republic, but through a series of events, he and Obi-Wan end up trying to figure out the mystery of the reason the star systems are leaving.  They inevitably learn that these events are being manipulated by a Sith lord.  This revelation shocks the Jedi Order to its core.

Oh, that’s another change.  The Jedi Order wouldn’t be in a skyscraper, but on its own planet, in a giant temple, like a kind of monastary.  And we’d put it in the mountains.  But that’s a small detail.  Too late do the Jedi realize what is happening, as war is declared by the Separatists.  At this time, Obi-Wan is made a Jedi Master, and his first act is to take his friend under his wing and teach him the ways of the Force.

Episode II -

This would have begun well into the war.  The Jedi are spread dangerously thin, and things are getting more complicated.  Meanwhile, Anakin is learning the ways of the Force.  Obi-Wan has toned down quite a bit now, and is actually trying to be the best mentor that he can be to him.  However, while teaching him the ways of the Force, he is also fighting a war.

Here, we meet several characters.  The first is General Grievous.  Now, I loved him in Episode III.  But I would have changed a couple things.  First, the fact that he can use a lightsaber, that’s awesome!  But instead of him just swinging his arms around, I would have made him a competant swordsman, and a good commander.  He becomes a legitimate threat to the Jedi, and worthy of respect.

Next up would be Anakin’s love-interest.  She isn’t going to be royalty, but a pilot.  At first, she wants nothing to do with him.  She is a dedicated soldier, fighting in a war.  But over time, the two bond because they become battle-buddies, and then more.  It’s a believable interaction, unlike how the actual film had it portrayed.

I would also introduce Senator Organa, who came up later in the series, with how Princess Leia recruited Obi-Wan to their cause.  He would be a gifted Republic commander, going up against the equally-talented Grievous.  It would be a battle of minds.

Now, Anakin is a good man, who goes out of his way to help others.  His attitude of staying out of things is mostly gone by this point.  And he is also a brilliant student, becoming as good as Obi-Wan very quickly.  However, you see a hint at his future when his girl is taken captive by bounty hunters, and he brutally slaughters them.  Shaken, he tries to forget it happened.  Hiding himself from this is what inevitably destroys him.

Also happening in this film is the Chancellor being given a LOT of power, very quickly.  This gets the Jedi’s attention, but since they are too busy leading a war effort, they are unable to do anything about it.  This proves to be their undoing.  The film ends with the Chancellor being given total power by the Senate, in the interest of staving off war.  Obi-Wan and Anakin again face off with the Sith enemy.  They are again bested by him, and Obi-Wan is injured.  Anakin against surrenders to his anger, but is beaten still by his enemy.  Yoda manages to save them, but the Sith Lord escapes.  It also ends with Anakin and the female-lead beginning a forbidden romance.

Episode III -

Like the original film, this one opens with General Grievous and his forces have kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine.  It is an incredibly daring move that none of the Jedi or commanders saw coming.  Obi-Wan and Anakin are called in to assist in the rescue operation.  You see early on that Anakin is now an incredible Jedi, easily able to outmatch any opponent he comes across.  Obi-Wan now is less like a mentor, and more like a friend.  The two are battle-buddies, and a good team.

Instead of the big show-down being with the Sith Lord, here, it is with Grievous.  And what a battle it is.  When he brutally hurts Obi-Wan, Anakin again becomes enraged, and a brutal battle goes on, eventually ending in Anakin killing Grievous in cold blood.  Obi-Wan and the Chancellor are appalled (well, you know the Chancellor is acting it, but it is done well), but accept things, as they make their escape.

Now the quest is on to find the Sith Lord and to end things.  The two begin their quest, hunting down the man through the ranks of the Separatist army.  The tide of the war is looking to be turning.  Obi-Wan and Anakin travel from battlefield to battlefield, trying to find him.

Meanwhile, the clandestine romance between Anakin and the pilot has really heated up.  She keeps meaning to tell him, but never gets the chance to that she is pregnant.  She is starting to notice that he is getting angrier and angrier, the longer the search for the Sith Lord goes.  He views this man as responsible for killing Jedi.  While he is anger for a good cause, it is starting to consume him.  Obi-Wan, since Anakin is his friend, isn’t seeing the darkness building inside of him.

After a while, the two get a solid lead on his location, and the hunt is on.  They take the Republic’s army and fight their way through a Separatist fortress.  While the battle is raging, Obi-Wan and Anakin sneak through the base, and then find the Sith Lord.  The battle is also incredibly fierce, but immediately, Anakin surrenders to his anger, thus making him very powerful.  He even kills the man, and almost turns on Obi-Wan when he is chastized.  That is when Obi-Wan realizes that something is very wrong.

The Chancellor then has a hologram of special droids he set up to look like Jedi kidnap his girlfriend.  This sets him off into a rage.  He nearly kills Obi-Wan, and it is then that Yoda understand that the this whole string of events had been manipulated by the Chancellor.  He tries to warn the other Jedi, but it is too late.  The Chancellor has ordered the slaughter of the Jedi.  It is unbelievably bitter.

He comes in and rescues Obi-Wan, sending Anakin through a window.  The two escape as the fortress world is taken.  They try to find whatever Jedi are left, but none answer the call.  Anakin goes to the Chancellor, and becomes his apprentice.  He is sent to do battle with the Separatist commanders, and to end the war.  Obi-Wan, meanwhile, goes to with Yoda to the temple.  It is discovered that the pilot is alive, and in hiding there.  The other Jedi rescued her, and kept her safe, under their dead bodies.

Then comes the final battle.  Obi-Wan seeks out Anakin, while Yoda goes to face the Chancellor.  There, he learns the truth about everything.  This had all been set up ages ago, and now, the Senate had given him complete authority, and the Jedi were dead.  The grand duels happen, just as we remembered, and Obi-Wan leaves, barely victorious, but unable to kill his friend, comrade, and brother.  Yoda is defeated, and leaves.  The two go to find where the Pilot and the Senator are waiting for them.  A complication from the pregnancy results in her dying, while Anakin is made into Darth Vadar.  Everything else happens much as you remember.

So, that’s my changes.  I think it would be a much better idea.  But that’s just me.

Until next time, a quote,

“Army or not, you must realize, you are doomed!”  -General Grievous

Peace out,

Maverick

Top Ten Most Anticipated Games of 2012

Well, since I am an avid gamer, I thought that I would put out what I believe are going to be the top picks for this year.  This is all just me, so I don’t know how much weight you should give it, but still.  I hope you all enjoy.  I think I will.  Some of my picks you may find surprising, but that’s because I am a weird guy.  That said, here goes.

10. Aliens: Colonial Marines
I love the Alien series.  Well, the first two movies, anyway.  The others suck.  But Aliens was a profoundly awesome film.  And here, this is looking to keep with the spirit of that film, with your character taking charge in a hellish nightmare.  One thing that I really love is that this game doens’t have a HUD.  In action games, that is always a kind of safety, because it tells you what you need to know.  Here, you are totally on your own.  It’s scary and cool at the same time.  You won’t be able to see the enemy coming.  It truly will be a perspective of horror game, and that sounds really cool.  In any case, it is a game that I look foward to, and will be on hell of a scare.

9. Final Fantasy XIII-2
Now, I am like you in saying that after all the build-up and all the imagery from the first game, we were disappointed.  But in this game, it looks like they actually listened to the disheartened fans.  It looks to have scrapped the completely linear gameplay, which is cool.  It seems to have retained the battle system from the first game, which was actually pretty fun.  Then there is the new feature that you can bring monsters into battle with you.  There is a lot to enjoy, looking at this game.  It has some new characters, a new premise, and much darker overtones as you travel through time and see all the good and bad that has happened with the world.  There are even some puzzle challenges.  This game appears to have listened to the people who commented on it, and I, for one, am excited to play.

8. Quantum Conundrum
This game is made by Square Enix and the co-creator of Portal.  With these two players in the mix, you know that this has to be good.  In keeping with the spirit of Portal, this is a first-person puzzle game.  A lot of people have said that this is just Portal for kids, but it’s looking like this is going to be a lot more complicated than that.  The puzzles clearly get very difficult as you go on.  The premise is that you are a kid who is given to his uncle.  There is an explosion at the manor and he is gone.  Now you have to explore this crazy labyrinth of mysteries in order to find him.  And you have with you a nifty device that lets you travel dimensions.  It helps you unlock the mystery of this house.  From fluffy to anti-gravity, it’s looking to be quite a ride.

7. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The title aside, this is looking to be really cool.  A lot of people have criticized the over the top look of the action, but this is coming from the same people who were cool with Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 4 destroying a bunch of giant machines while wielding a sword with his foot.  Yeah, that was totally realistic.  But this game looks to get right back into the high-octane action, and playing as Raiden, but not the whiny and bitchy guy from Metal Gear Solid 2.  Here he is a badass cyborg.  What the exact backstory is is unknown, but one thing is for sure, you are going to have some serious cutting power here.  This game makes me think of Vanquish.  Not a lot of plot, but a hell of a lot of action.  It’s looking to be pretty fun, regardless of what the die-hard fans say.  Those people need to chill.

6. The Darkness II
The Darkness was a crazy and awesome game.  The game was short, but sweet.  It let you be as brutal as you wanted, while also having some dark and twisted humor.  The weird dialogues between your demon monsters, and some of the creepy responses of the main characters.  This was a game that nobody really knew what to think of.  It was gory as all get-out, the plot couldn’t have been darker if it tried.  Your girlfriend gets killed off in the first chapter.  This was a game that really took its dark premise seriously.  And the sequel doesn’t look any different.  New mechanics allow you to use the Darkness to its full potential by controlling the heads and tendrils to rip people apart.  The story is also looking to be more interesting, with a guy who is looking to take the Darkness from Jackie Estacado.  All in all, I’m pretty stoked, and from what I’ve seen, I won’t be disappointed.

5. The Last Guardian
Okay, here is a game that, if it doesn’t come out this year, it isn’t coming out at all.  The makers of the game Shadow of the Colossus have never disappointed.  Ico was awesome, and so was it.  They always have games that nobody really knows what to expect.  This game looks to be much the same.  The trailers that come out are always intriguing.  It shows a young boy and a giant monster.  The boy is trying to help it escape.  That’s about all that’s known.  The gameplay looks to be a lot like Shadow of the Colossus with you climbing about, climbing the monster, and navigating the area you are in.  Really, this is do or die time for this game.  If it doesn’t make its debut this year, it isn’t happening.  I hope it does, though, because it really looks like a lot of fun.

4. Bioshock: Infinite
The makers of the Bioshock series are truly artisans.  Truly, it was the Bioshock games that make video games into an art form.  And this doesn’t look to be any exception.  While the first two games had you in a metropolis beneath the sea, this one looks to take you to a hamlet in the air.  You are a man who has made his way to this city, on a mission to find a girl.  Not a lot more than that has been said about the plot, but the gameplay looks to keep with the awesomeness of the other games.  There are plasmids (if that’s what they are), some new, some old.  You can control a flock of ravens in this game.  You are also aided by the girl who you are sent to rescue, able to perform special attacks.  She also has some incredible powers, like being able to affect objects through time.  The idea is interesting, and based on what I have seen, it isn’t going to disappoint.  Definitely going to see how battle happens in the sky.

3. Assassin’s Creed III
Now, the details about this are sketchy.  There was a poll online from Ubisoft asking where players wanted to see this game taking place.  From all the options they had, I like the American Revolution most.  But this game is needed.  Desperately.  AC: Revelation was boring.  While Brotherhood was exciting and really added to the experience, the latest game had shown that Ezio was kind of stale as a character.  And the bits with Altair in them were boring, really boring.  But I still have love for this series, and it won’t be hard for it to redeem itself from that failure.  I am intrigued to see where the series goes, and it is anybody’s guess.  I have no picture or preview here, because nobody outside of the people making it know where this is going to go.

2. Resident Evil 6
Now, I was one of the people who wished that they would have had a lot more of the horror aspect in the previous game than they did, but I still liked it.  But this game goes back to its origins, and it does so in one hell of a badass looking game.  It brings back Leon, which is awesome, Chris, which is okay, and a new guy, who looks totally badass.  The mechanics of the game have also changed.  They have FINALLY given us gameplay that lets us move while we shoot.  I have been so annoyed that we didn’t have that, because it’s not only unrealistic, but also hinders gameplay.  The story is also looking good, with three tales in one, and no idea how they all merge together.  I am stoked about this game, and I hope it meets my expectations.

So, after all these games, what could be on the top of this list?!  The answer might surprise you.

1. Journey
I have a good relationship with thatgamecompany.  These guys have a gift at creating some completely different, yet totally enjoyable games.  I liked Flow, but Flower, that is a game that I love beyond all reason.  Whenever I am feeling down, that is the game that I go to play.  It is nothing but atmosphere.  No conflict, simple goals, but very vivid and beautiful universe.  The effects and visuals are nothing short of amazing, and this game looks to be picking that up.  The plot here is also very simple.  You play a creature made of cloth.  It walks and moves like a person, though in gameplay clips, it is shown to be able to fly, briefly.  You don’t know why you are there, but you are in a desert, and the only thing you know about your goal is that it is VERY far away, on a mountain with a glow at the peak.  Again, no conflict, a simple goal, and all atmosphere, and the atmosphere is gorgeous.  I have high hopes for this game, and lucky for me, I won’t have to wait long.

Until next time, a quote,

“A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”  -John Steinbeck

Peace out,

Maverick

Jesus has to be Your Model for Marriage?

Well, Jefferson Bethke is at it again.  This guy got notoriety from this poem about how he hates religion, but loves him some Jesus.  And now, he has made a new poem about what he believes.  I gotta say, I wasn’t planning on pwning this dude again, but hey, while I’m here, and I’ve got a mind to go on the attack, I think I’ll address his statements about marriage.  Alright, Jefferson, what have you got?

Disney movies and Chick flicks, they’ve put us in a weird position.

O-kay.  I’m not following you yet, but you’ve got my attention.  Continue.

They’ve distorted our reality because we forget they’re actually fiction.

Really?  We’ve forgotten they’re fiction.  Gee, with that in mind, I think I’m going to go to the Great Barrier Reef and talk with Nemo and the sharks!  After all, I’m dumb and forgot it’s fiction.  Some days I wonder what goes through this guy’s mind on a regular basis.

Because in marriage we either get better or bitter.  Joy or remorses.

Again, really?  I wrote a post a while back called “The False Dichotomy of Happiness.”  I think I should have titled this post, “The False Dichotomy of Marriage.”  Because this is the same problem that I was responding to in the other post.  This guy has a completely narrow-minded view of things.  He doesn’t look at the whole picture.  He doesn’t realize that human emotions are 3D, and that we are not just one thing or another.  We’re a dozen things at the same time.

What we’re doing isn’t working, just look at the rate of divorces.  So how’s your marriage, come on, let’s be honest.  Marriage seems more like a prison than the paradise they were promises.

I am not following his logic here.  So, he brings up the high divorce rate.  That’s, fine.  Apparently, this is making the case that what we are doing in marriage is wrong.  He doesn’t look at the changing attitudes and gender roles of society that affect things like marriage.  That would be too easy, I guess.  He also then assumes that the person watching his video agrees with him whole-heartedly.  I’m just going to continue.  We have a lot more ground to cover.

Hoping it will set us free, but on the fumes were choking.  Because if your marriage rests on anything but Jesus, it’s resting on something broken.

Here we go.  Now we’re getting to this guy’s point.  So, marriage has to be based on Jesus.  Interesting.  Especially since the woman Jesus was into was a whore.  But that’s just a small detail, I guess.  And did you notice how he ties in the the divorce rate into this.  This is just like the last video I attacked.  He gives a situation, and then doesn’t really comment on it at all.  He just makes declarative statements, and that’s it.  Don’t get divorced, love Jesus.  So pathetic.

And never-mind that he totally ignores what happens in relationships.  There are plenty of people who were tight as can be, for years, but then just grew-apart.  It is pretty common, and this guy doesn’t even look beyond this.  It’s just “didn’t have Jesus,” and that’s it.  Again, the False Dichotomy of Marriage.  He also seems to believe that if a marriage ends, it was a failure.  No, it wasn’t.  It just didn’t work out forever.  That’s not a bad thing.  It’s the way life is.

Oh, and by the way – take a look at the statistics of divorce in this country, and you’ll find plenty of couples whose founding bedrock for marriage was this Jesus guy and they got divorced.  I have a cousin who is in a family that is about as religious as it gets.  She got divorced.  Did she just not have Jesus enough?  Believe me, I doubt that.  Ironically, the countries with the lowest divorce rate are countries like Sri Lanka and Turkey, where getting a divorce is a VERY bad idea (ugly consequences of that decision).

So men, grow up.  Put down the controller.  How about you lead her with grace, instead of trying to control her.

Wow.  Just, wow.  This is so unbelievably stupid.  This statement just makes me want to punch a dog.  So many women in the comments section of his video talked about how he is such a great man, and all men should be like him.  But let’s look at this critically.  He tells me to put down the controller.  And then to lead these women with Grace.  I guess it never crossed this guy’s mind that the Bible is a horribly sexist document.

1 Corinthians 14

As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

1 Timothy 2

Also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds, as befits women who profess religion. Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent.

So, lead her with Grace?  Yeah, because a holy union is such a free thing.  Not controlling at all.  The biblical marriage has the husband as the head of household, and women being subservient to them.  That is sexism at its best.  Jefferson Bethky, you are a sexist.  Congratulations.

Now, I’ve never been married, but I was the produce of one that was non-existant.  So don’t tell me I don’t understand the pain, that I don’t get it.

Jefferson, you don’t understand the pain.  You don’t get it.  Clearly you don’t do either of those things.

Pursue Jesus as your foundation, before you get under the covers.  Because believe me a strong friendship before marriage will make a good marriage after.

Wait, what?!  Is he arguing for two seperate things here?  It sounds like it.  In one statement, he said to look for Jesus before getting into bed with somebody.  Then he turns around and basically says, “Make sure they’re your friend.”  I just wanted to clarify that.

Marriage isn’t just sex.  It’s conversation and laughter.

So’s a relationship.  So is any human interaction.  I have casual sex with somebody and it isn’t just sex.  We’re friends with benefits, does that mean we are getting the same thing from it as this Jesus guy wanted?  I am not following your logic here.

And while we’re here, talking about the Bible and marriage, take a look at some other examples of relations condoned by the bible -

Deuteronomy 22: 28-29 – a woman has to marry her rapist.
Number 31:1-18 – a soldier can bring home female prisoners of war as fuck slaves.
There are 10 examples of biblical heroes who had concubines.  Abraham was one of them.
King David and King Solomon both had polygamous marriages.  (Of course, it’s always men.  Women could never get hitched to a bunch of guys)

So, you can marry tons of women, have a harem of women, bring prisoners of war home as your fuck slaves, and you also have to have women marry their rapists.  Wow.  Yeah, the Bible is such a great teacher on how to have a good marriage.  Never mind that this Jesus guy you love so fucking much didn’t get married, and couldn’t hold down a good relationship (I can already hear some dumbass Christian coming at me “well he was too busy saving our souls!”).

Something you didn’t know Jefferson is that I was going to be married once.  Once upon a time.  I had plans to be with that woman.  I loved her from the bottom of my little atheist heart.  Not one time did Jesus come into the mix.  I never once promised her love forever.  I promised life, because I knew that as much as I would love my time with her, there was a chance that her and I would go our seperate ways, and that would be the end of things.  So I committed to living, and decided to enjoy every moment that I got with her.  Every day I wish I had told her more how much she meant to me.  Things were coming apart a little before she died.

But you, with your egotistical and narrow-minded  view on something so important, you piss me off!  You are worthless, Jefferson.  You are a worthless person, and you don’t know it.  But I do.  I have pointed out to you how pathetic you are.

From the cross, he looks you in the eye and says “I’m taking this for my bride.”

There’s the real truth, Jefferson.  You don’t care about marriage.  All you care about is Jesus.

Until next time, a quote,

“I may not be a Christian, but I do know that Christians are supposed to be humble.  You are not displaying even a fraction, of a sliver,  of a molecule, of a modicum of humility.”  -TJ Kincaid, JESUS MARRIAGE? 

Peace out,

Maverick

God Should KILL You!

Well, I just got a comment from a lovely woman named Giselle on my post about Jefferson Bethkys video – “I hate religion, But love Jesus.”  It was pretty telling about the way that Christians think.  Here’s the lovely quote, so you can see all the love and respect that Christians have, and so I can point out something really fun -

your such a hater you know i hope you freaking get hit by a car and die!! GOD LOVE ME AND YOU! He died for us! You really are going down the bad road!

Okay, fire things first, she didn’t use the correct tense of “you’re.”  But that’s a trifling detail.  Notice that the first thing that she says is - I hope you freaking get hit by a car and die!!  You know, I could have sworn that this Jesus guy that they all claim to believe in talked about this somewhere.  I wonder where that was…

Matthew 7:12

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: For this is the law of the prophets.

Yeah, I can get how Gisselle didn’t realize that she is a giant bleeding hypocrite.  But it really strikes me as telling in a lot of ways.  Here are some Facebook posts and Twitter responses to the girl in Rhode Island, Jessica Ahlquist, and her mission to get the prayer banner removed from her school -

Matt Starchild May that little, evil atheist teenage girl and that judge BURN IN HELL!

AJ St.Angelo
Let’s all jump that girl that did the banner #fuckthatho

You ever notice how, whenever it suits them, these people will all propose violence against others?  You ever notice how they believe that their God endorses their violent behaviors?  Think about this, post 9/11, there was a massive throng of Americans chanting death and destruction to all Muslims.  But what about Jesus?  What was it Jesus said about when your enemies hurt you?

Matthew 5:39-40

Verily I say unto you, do not resist the person who is evil.  And if they should strike you on the cheek, turn then and offer the other as well.  And if they should demand your tunic, offer them your cloak as well.

So, Jesus was basically telling you that if somebody hurts you, you don’t be violent in return.  How did that work out, Christians?  All over the talk-radio circut there were Christians screaming for violence, screaming for vengeance.  They were screaming for the justice and for blood.  A lot of those same Christians still are screaming for blood.  Never mind that this guy who they believe is the son (and also the guy himself) of their creator expressly said that one shouldn’t be vengeful.  I guess that was too much to ask from these “humble” Christians types.

The fact is that so many Christans are such bleeding hypocrites when it comes to wishing violence on other people.  There was a post on Fox News’ Facebook page.  Here are some of the comments.

Paul Altum I say kill them all and let them see for themselves that there is God

Bob O’Connell Shoot them.  Shoot to kill.

Joe Martinez TO ALL ATHEIST DIE AN GO TO HELL HAHA IF I COULD ID SHOOT ALL OF YOU IN THE HEAD WITH A 12GAUGE

Bob O’Connell They’re atheists so it won’t matter if you kill them.

Cindy Clock Stupid atheists.  I hope God kills them all.

Cindy Clock I love Jesus and the Cross.  And if you don’t, I hope someone rapes you.

Not only are these people wishing death on atheists, but they are also saying the these people should be raped.  Raped!  You know what I would really love to do – get one of these good wholesome Christians who wishes for somebody else to be raped to get to experience how awful those crimes really are.  Or for one of those who wants to kills somebody with a shotgun to watch another person get their head blown off.  I mean up close and person.  Listening to that person beg, to them scream.  I bet you that all of these people would shit their pants and then cry for hours.  As it should be.  Nobody should wish death and rape upon another person (don’t you dare point out how I just wished that they would get raped for wishing for rape.  That was making a point.  I wasn’t seriously, unlike these people).  What’s more, they should realize that their creator would look down on them for such a wish.

But you can’t tell these people that.  They don’t care.  They really don’t care that they are endorsing murder and rape.  Of course, given God’s lenient punishment for rape, I guess I get that.  Hell, according to the Bible, the punishment for rape is that the rapist has to marry the rape victim and then fork over money to the daddy.  Wow, aren’t they sweet?  Fucking monsters.

And what about atheism?  What do we endorse?  Well, while our political and sociological beliefs may differ, we all do agree on one thing – we advocate not killing other people, because instead of a worthless religious moral code, we have empathy that guides.  We also advocate for not raping people, because we also have empathy, instead of religious doctrine that says the rapist has to marry the victim.  We endorse treating people with differing view level-headedly, instead of getting all upset.

Whenever an atheist like myself gets on a Christian about the two-faced nature of this belief system, and things like this, they will go on about how I am being prejudiced against their beliefs, and how I am being judgmental.  Gee, because they are SO non-judgmental, right?

your such a hater you know i hope you freaking get hit by a car and die!! GOD LOVE ME AND YOU! He died for us! You really are going down the bad road!

The moral of this story is, kids, don’t be like these people.  The Christians who follow this line of thinking are scum.  And I am not saying that all Christians are like this, but it is a very large segment of the Christian population.  By the by, Christians who are this way, I wouldn’t be so quick the hate on the Muslims.  The God that they worship and the God that you worship are the same person.  Neat, huh?

Until next time, a quote,

“Now you would think, that if Christians who are willing to threaten a teenage girl with bodily harm, and they’re willing to call her evil, all because she got a prayer banner removed, that they would have some strength of conviction.  That it would be serious to them.  That it was something they dedicated a lot of time and thought and energy to.  You’d think if they were willing to block gay rights and block women’s reproductive rights, and mandate school prayer, that they would have a sense of seriousness about their faith.  But you would be wrong.”  -TJ Kincaid, CHRISTIANITY: SERIOUSLY?

Peace out,

Maverick

The History of Resident Evil

Reblogged from Lefty on the Left:

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Well, now that the newest sequel to the Resident Evil saga is coming out, I thought it would be nice to take a look back through this game's history.  What makes this game's history unique is that the newest addition to the Resident Evil saga is going to be Resident Evil 6.  Six games, and a plethora of off-shoot games, and this series is still going strong. 

Read more… 1,700 more words

I’m Tired…

This is going to be a completely personal post.  I try to avoid them if I can.  I like to talk about more substantial things that matter to more people.  Nobody really cares about the woes of other people.  Nobody really gives a shit if other people are happy.  The things we do care about are motivated by self-interest.  If it makes you feel good, you care about it.  That’s not a bad thing.  That’s how it is.  That said, I am going to just put this out there anyway, and see what comes back on it.  The fact is, I’m tired.

I’m tired of waking up each day and hearing about how there are no opportunities for people like me.  How people like me are just going to be in a field that has little to no respect, and little pay to go with it.  My field, journalism, is dying.  I love this stuff.  I really do.  Great journalism is like fine wine.  It’s like good dessert.  It’s tasty, it’s rich.  It leaves you feeling warm and free.  Great journalism is wonderful.  But this field is dying, and I feel part of myself dying with it.

I’m tired of the cold.  It is freezing the fuck cold up here in Alaska, and I am so sick of it.  I don’t like too much heat, either, but this is just the worst.  Seattle was pretty nice.  It was temperate there.  Of course, the economy is shit there, so the job opportunities don’t make it viable for me to move there.  Not that I know where I am going once all of this is done here at the college.  But this cold weather, it’s like a weight is pressing down on my back all the time.  I feel so tired, having to carry it.

I’m tired of always having to be the one who cares.  I never get anybody call me up or write me and say, “hey Lucien, want to hang out?”  It is always on me to make things happen.  Why?  Why do I always have to be the one who cares?  That’s the truth.  I think only one or two people have ever reached out to me to make things happen – my friend Sara and Lizzy.  I am starting to think they are the only two would really notice if I vanished from this world.  Of course, Sara is moving away soon.  Far away, where I won’t be able to see her anymore.  I can’t say that I am really depressed.  I keep my fucking mouth shut, and make sure everybody stays happy.  It would be too much to ask that I am happy.  Of course it would be.  But nobody else reaches out to me.  Nobody else cares to.  It’s always me.

I’m tired of being alone at night.  When I was with Camille, when she was still alive, things were good.  We had our ups and downs, but things were good.  I have somebody who I sleep with now, but she is always busy, and it looks this semester like we are not going to have any time at all to get together.  She has hope that we will, but I don’t share that faith.  And even if we do find time to see one-another, it will be passing, very brief.  I sleep better when I am not alone.  My insomnia is kept away by the company of another.  Joyce is my friend.  I don’t believe in one night stands.  That would leave me feeling more bitter.  Friends with benefits, I can do, but not one night stands.  But I am so tired of being alone at night.

I’m tired of never having what I want come to pass.  It seems like every time I try to do something special, it either fails outright, or doesn’t even get a chance to happen.  I got a taste of the worst of that over Christmas break.  I was going to be delivering cookies to my friend Emily, and it was a nice day.  I went to see Lizzy (a stupid thing to do), and to do a nice thing for her too.  Everything went to shit, and I got home totally soaked, in agonizing pain, hardly able to walk, and with the cookies I meant to deliver still in my car.  Since I knew they wouldn’t last until the next time I had a chance to see her (because she was leary about seeing me outside of work.  Why?  Well, I don’t know.  I was hoping too, but I quickly realized that this sentiment was not returned), I ate them the next day.  So that was the most recent instance, but certainly not the first.  EVERY single time I try to do something worthwhile, I end up having things go wrong, totally wrong, and for me to be the one who gets the raw end of the deal.

I’m tired of wanting things that I can’t have.  I have already written about the girl I love, and why it is totally useless.  She doesn’t return the feelings for me, and probably never will.  I am cursed to be alone, probably forever.  It’s like my heart just automatically goes for that which I cannot have.  It isn’t like she’s out of my league.  Not completely.  We’re very good friends.  It just a complete lack of interest on one side.  Not mine.  I am left with my lonely heart.  It has tried to get back up after our fiance died.  It tried to get back on that horse.  But it doesn’t.  It completely doesn’t want to do that.  Instead, I am left here, alone, feeling like I am looking like a fool and wasting my time.  She’s intuitive.  She knows how I feel.  I got a feeling that part of the reason she didn’t want to hang with me over break is because she thought I would get the wrong idea.  Don’t worry, I know I have no shot, no chance.  I never did.  I’m in friend territory, and while I hate every minute of it, I can accept it.  I have come to terms with it.

I’m tired, of life.  Of living.  Of having to breathe air and make it into Carbon Dioxide.  You know what I really want?  Sleep.  I want lots of sleep.  I’m tired of not being able to get any.  I’m tired, of life giving me the fucking long end of the stick through everything!  I’m tired.

Tired…

Until next time, a quote,

“Its not that you are dreaming. You are a dream. Maybe you are the dream that will end our dream at last.”  -Fayth, Final Fantasy X

Peace out,

Maverick

Is God a “Higher” Being?

I did a post a while back talking about the riddle the Epicurus put to Christians about the nature of God and the nature of evil.

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

In eight lines, a man who has been dead for over 2,000 years handily quashes the moral arguments for God.  It’s brilliant how simple and how powerful that statement is.  It is so true, and of course, because it’s true, the Christian crowd isn’t a big fan of his riddle.

There is a whole field of Christian theology that is dedicated to answering Epicurus’ riddle.  And the answers I have talked about.  But there is one answer that I didn’t really touch on, and I think that I will now.  On the site ExperienceProject.com, there is what is called the “Best Answer” to Epicurus’ riddle.  Care to know what that answer is?  Yay or nay, I’ll tell you -

God is none of those things.  God is something more.

This isn’t exactly a new sentiment that is traveling around the Christian zeitgeist.  In Bill Maher’s film “Religulous,” there was an interview with a guy who played Jesus at a park in Florida who echoed these sentiments.

God’s ways are higher than ours, Bill!

Higher.  Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate description of how God is.  High.  Very, very high.  And so are the people who follow him.  The fact is that this argument for God being an entity that is beyond our understanding is a farce.  Let’s examine why.

The first thing that has to be addressed when responding to these comments is what a complete cop-out it is to say that God is something higher, so we can’t know what he really is.  It would be like me saying “I can transform into a dolphin at will.”  When people come back at me with statments about how our biology is different, and it isn’t scientifically possible for a human being to change into a dolphin and change back, and I responded to the effect of, “Oh, well, science can’t explain how I do it because my power to change into a dolphin is on a higher plane than you all can understand it.  I would be laughed into oblivion.  Nobody would take me seriously.  And for good reason, it’s crazy.

But as I have pointed out, time and time again, to no fucking effect, God isn’t viewed in that way.  He is completely above the criticism of people, apparently.  Christians often seem to know the logical fallacies, but ignore them because to ignore them is easier than to face the truth of contradiction and accept it.  A belief in anything has to be open to scrutiny, and it also has to have some pretty extraordinary proof to go with it.  The burden of proof is on the Christians.  It always has been.  To date, scientists and philosophers have handily beaten the shit out of every proof they have ever come up with.

Christians will make that claim – that God is beyond our tiny human ability to comprehend, outside of reason and understanding.  Such a lack of substance in a statment isn’t seen often.  I mean, think about it – how can you defend that statement?  How can you possibly make a compelling reason for believing that?  The problem with this claim is also that it actually makes things more complicated than less.

Let’s look at it a different way.  Think about this – the God of the Bible is a being who is petty, vindictive, vengeful, angry, loving every so slightly, and then merciless the next minute.  He exhibits all the behaviors of a very human creature.  So, a being who acts like us, was said to have made us in his own image, and who has all the petty prejudices that we do is supposed to be some kind of higher being?

In the film Religulous, Maher was asking the Jesus-actor why he would not just make everything good in the world, get rid of all poverty and starvation and murder and rape.  The guy then made the argument that God is waiting for “Judgment Day.”  This statement was then immediate mocked because he asked, “What, is this like a game to him?”  The guy then made the “God is higher” argument.

If you look at the state of the world, it’s pretty clear that none of this came to be because of a being who was beyond all understanding.  If you take the Bible seriously, then the idea of free will doesn’t exist.  Has never existed, and never could.  And also, God is a being who will openly acknowledge prejudice and say that he is a vengeful creator.

I have to ask, Christians – how do you reconcile these contradictions in your mind?  I think with most Christians, they are just too afraid not to believe.  For some, it’s the fear of Hell.  They don’t want to burn foreve,r so they will accept servitude in the place of eternal torture (another human trait that this supposedly “higher” being has).  Another is because they don’t want to be alone in the world.  They want to believe that there is a being who walks with them down that beach (as the old poem goes), and carries them when they are hurting (I wonder how much carrying he is doing for the people who are starving in Ethiopia.  Must have a lot of arms).  Then there are those who claim to know the guy himself, and to have working knowledge of God, usually through a traumatic experience which they claim he was there with them, or through a “sign.”

But like Jodie Foster’s character in the film “Contact”, I have scrutiny of this because it really makes no sense that this being is existing, but gives no proof of his existence, and is higher than us, but also has all the bigotry that anybody wants him to have.

The “Higher Being” argument is a cop-out, plain and simple.  It’s an answer to a question that doesn’t answer questions, but provides more.  It’s a weak, substance-less answer that nobody should take seriously.  But, as always, It is God, and so God is above criticism.  Gotta love the slaves who serve this guy, don’t you?

Until next time, a quote,

“A man chooses, a slave obeys.”  -Andrew Ryan, Bioshock

Peace out,

Maverick

Calling Being Special “Pretend,” and other ways you lose my respect

I recently had a conversation with someone, I won’t say who or how I know them, but it was a conversation that really got me to thinking about something that really has been on my mind lately – respect.  A lot of people that I know thing that respect is just something that you give people.  If a person is related to you, you are automatically supposed to respect them.  If somebody is much older than you, you are supposed to respect them.  If somebody is more powerful than you, you are supposed to respect them.  All of those instances – pure bullshit.  And I am going to explain why.

First of all, let me introduce how this all came up.  I posted on my Facebook page that I find it interesting that people either love me or they hate me.  There isn’t much of anybody who just vaguely likes me.  I think it’s better that way.  Just by being myself, I somehow manage to either get people to love me or hate me.  I don’t try to be one thing or another, because I believe that if you try to make everybody like you, in the long run, nobody will like you.  Nobody likes a kiss-ass.

Anyway, somebody commented on this post, and it began a long and rather winding conversation that ended abruptly.  It started with this person saying that I sometimes take for granted the people who care about me.  That’s true.  I’ll admit that.  They said that I discount it.  Again, this is true.  Allow me to explain.

I don’t know what love means.  I have no idea.  It’s a word to me.  In my mind, there are four types of people – people I like, people I don’t like, people I really REALLY like, and the people I couldn’t care less about.  That’s it.  Since love is a vague term to me, I generally don’t regard it all that much.  So do I discount the people who love me?  Since I don’t know who does or doesn’t because it’s a word I don’t understand, I don’t doubt that I do.  But the conversation kept going.

At some point, this person got the impression that I don’t value this level of compassion that they have for me.  I don’t deny, this isn’t my favorite person in the world, but I still value the connection, for what it’s worth.  But I think I must have offended them because this person said -

ratchet yourself down,

And it was followed by -

get back to earth with the rest of us.

At this point, I was getting a little annoyed by this.  I tried to just wave it off, replying that being “down to Earth” was never something I am good at, which is true.  But this person then decided that they would REALLY make their point, and it was with this statement that I lost all respect I had for them -

it’s kinda fun to pretend you don’t, though. that you’re something diffferent, special

So, being special is all pretend.  As you can imagine, I cut the conversation off.  I made a point of telling them that, hoping that they would catch the hint.  This person was somebody I had been steadily losing respect for for some time.  This person believes that because her husband can get a job, anybody can.  Yes, that’s not faulty logic at all.  She also believes that the proof of government wasteful spending is road signs and a new rule that cars should keep their lights on (one that isn’t being enforced.  At all).  I can forgive those two things as just being generally ignorant of how the world is.   But it was that comment about how being special is pretend that instantly killed any respect I had for her.

Let me explain something else – I respect strength.  Not physical, but mental and emotional strength.  A person who can show that they can weather what Lady Luck throws at them.  Who can rise above pain and misery.  A person who is strong enough to do what’s right, and strong enough to make the hard choices.  This person, is not one such person.  Anybody, and I do mean anybody, who views people believing they are special as pretend is weak.  It shows that they will just coalesce into a group simply because it is better.

Remember when your parents told you that you were special?  I wonder if she told her own kid – “sweetie, don’t think you’re special.  If you do, you’re just pretending.”  It’s weakness to say that.  Statements like that don’t come from a position of strength, but for a position of personal weakness.

That’s how you lose my respect, by being weak.  People who are dumb as bricks but are strong enough to do the right thing are people that I respect over the people who will just bow their heads and believe that acceptance is the better option.

Ironically, this same person called the people who are occupying Wall Street “the Wall Street whiners.”  Yes, because standing up for what you believe in, and choosing to make your voice heard is such a weak thing to do.  Yeah, better we do what people like her do, and sit quietly what the people of this country get screwed left and right.  I would honestly love to see the last thing that she has done.  I would love to see the last time she stood against the status quo.  Oh no, that would be too hard.  Well, she’s one of the people who believe that the status quo is great, and that we should do the basic conservative model and fight to keep it.

The fact is that all the people like her are not what is destorying America.  I can at least get that she supports the status quo and doesn’t want it to change.  It’s the rest, the silent majority who are the ones that are destroying this country.  Silence is betrayal.  Anybody who chooses to keep their mouths shut and doesn’t make their voice heard is destroying this country.  I may not be on the street with the Occupiers, but I am helping to change things in whatever way I can.  But I digress.

The fact is that telling me that my believing myself to be special is all pretend, and that anybody who believes themselves to be special are pretending is a spit in the face of me and the people who I include in my inner circle.  People like my friend Emily, an amazing artist.  People like my friend Mark, and amazing medical mind, who is going to be one of the youngest surgeons in the country when he graduates.  People like a lot of those that I know.  They are special, and so am I.  Everybody is special, and unique.  Some more than others, but still.  It isn’t pretend, it’s fact.  And because this person lost sight of that, I lost all the respect that I had for them.  I ended that conversation, and I am glad I did it before I really lost it and attacked her.  I’m the better person for it.  It was strength.

Until next time, a quote,

“Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.”  -Calvin Coolidge

Peace out,

Maverick

The State of the Union, is Crap

Well, it was another day when our President had to come out and to make a big speech about the state of America.  Much like myself and probably most people were expecting, it was another really long bit of pandering.  The ironic thing this time was that it wasn’t really pandering to anybody in-particular.  It was kind of pandering to, well, nobody.

The speech began with Obama talking about how the troops were coming home, and how they were defending our freedom.  Question, Obama, and to all of the conservatives who are stupid enough to think that this is something that matters – what exactly is our freedom in danger from?  That has always been something that I have never gotten.  They say that our country is in immediate danger, when the fact is that it isn’t.  Now Obama is championing the troops effort to “secure our freedom.”  Really, think about how dumb this statement is.  It took Al-Qaeda over ten years to plan and execute their plan to destroy the World Trade Center (it was terrorists, not the government, you Truthers are imbeciles).  We have decimated their ranks since the beginning of the “War on Terror.”  (I think we are going to have a War on Silliness next) Our freedom is in no danger of being destroyed.  The terrorists don’t have an army, of any kind, so they aren’t going to be conquering America.

Next, the President talked about how our economy needs work (he makes a point later about how America is back, but I’ll get to pointing out how stupid that is in a second).  Of course, he said things about how the economy was hurt by corporations and a lack of oversight (which he hasn’t addressed.  Wall-Street Reform was a joke).  He didn’t even bother to address the banks who got us into this mess, or suggest that the people who did this with criminal activities be held accountable.  I get that.  He has to feed them the schtick that they want to hear.  All State of the Union addresses are like that.  Nobody ever wants to deflate America or the private market’s ego.  Nobody ever wants to, I don’t know, suggest that we fight back.

While talking about the economy, he makes a point that he saved the auto industry.  Obama has been milking that point to death ever since he did it.  Like he thinks we have all forgotten about all the failures, and how the economy is swiftly heading in the wrong direction.  But yes, he did say that he saved the auto industry, and for some reason, that’s going to put America back on top.  Then, in a rather odd move, he said that the same financial success that reclaiming the auto industry had on Detroit, it would have in other places.

It could happen in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Raleigh.

I guess it can only happen in swing states.  That’s cool.

Next up, he talked again about how he would get business to come back to America, and fix the tax code to stop them from abusing the system for their own benefit.  We’ve heard that schtick before.  And of course, business will come back to America.  Yes, because exploiting foreign labor will be less profitable, right?  I know that the President isn’t that foolish, so we’ll just chalk that up to him being political.

And of course, whenever one talks about America, there is the “winning the future” gag, where America is ahead of the game, and making innovation all over the world.  Like how we have a mass-transit system, right?  Oh, right, we don’t.  Europe, Japan and Russia have those.  Well, we don’t have that, but we have universal health care!  Oh wait, that’s also something that a lot of European and 1st-world Asian countries have, along with Canada.  So, we’re not ahead of the curve there.  But we’re leading the way in space technology, right?  Nope, NASA has pretty much been cut from funding, so the space race, which was proven to be good for the economy, is dead.  So where is America in the race for the “future?”  Well, to be honest, not anywhere.  We are stuck in a deadland because nobody wants this country to invest in anything useful, like infrastructure, or taxing the rich.

Oh sure, he did promise that the wealthy would be paying more in taxes, but I think we have all seen how Obama is completely unwilling to stand his ground on any of that.  He didn’t stand his ground on the Bush Tax Cuts, or the Debt Ceiling.  He gave the Republicans all that they wanted and more.  The fact is that this was all just pandering, and nobody should be paying attention to it.  The truth of what is happening in this country speaks for itself.

Until next time, a quote,

“ Twitter Crashes From Sheer Volume Of Clear, Insightful Comments On State Of The Union http://onion.com/wBuQ21“  -Tweet from The Onion

Peace out,

Maverick