Death of Statesman

It was my original intent pay my respects for Mr. Kennedy (via blog) on the day it was announced he passed away, but as virtually anyone can attest, sometimes the words are simply not there (even when you feel like a douche that they're not). By this point, there's very little that I can add to the cascade of postmortem adoration that Mr. Kennedy has been receiving this week. So, chances are, none of this will sound very unique.

Among many, many, things, I found Mr. Kennedy to be respectful for the means by which he conducted himself in Congress. Its not news that the bureaucracy within the Federal Government has gotten out of control, and anyone who observes or participates in politics (or virtually any other government run organization) can attest to the mind-numbing amount of time and productivity that is wasted over the simplest of things. The fact that Mr. Kennedy was able to hang in there for almost five decades certainly speaks to his endurance.

But what made Mr. Kennedy a true Statesmen was not merely his mental fortitude, but his persistence and his willingness to work for results. Let's be honest here, not everyone in congress does their job (indeed, it could be presumed that some are probably being payed not to), in fact, a lot of congressmen and congresswomen seem to be there just to cause gridlock and tension and/or make us give up hope in them (and, therein our governmental functions). In this, if there is but one thing that you must respect this man for, it must be his commitment to the American People. Not just the people of Massachusetts, or just Democrats: Everyone. If that doesn't make him a true American Statesman, I don't see how such a title could be attainable.

Whether you agreed with his politics or not, there is good reason to respect his tenacity. Anyone who's payed attention to the dynamics of an organization knows in that order for things to get done, you need what is called a doer. You need someone who can visualize the end result, and maintain the necessary ambition and confidence to see it through. You need someone who knows the process and can make it work, even when the opposing force is doing all that it can to either distract the people or halt the process in its entirely. You need someone with the fiery passion to take on dissenters, and guileful charisma to build bridges between opposing interests.

You need someone like Mr. Kennedy.

We salute you, oh Lion of the Senate.

Brilliance

For all of the Athiests and non-Fundies in the crowd: God's Checklist 2.0

Glenn Beck, Racism, and other turds that just won't flush.

Surely by now, news has reached the ears of most that well over 30 corporations have pulled their advertising from the Glenn Beck Program over a little comment about the President being a racist that Glenn Beck made this week. I can't imagine that most people are surprised by the comment. Glenn Beck has been trying with an almost respectable determination to mask his hatred of the President since the inauguration (if not before it), by trying to label him as a socialist, as anti-american, as trying to enforce a double standard, etc... Yet, anyone who's familiar with Glenn's politics probably could have guessed that this day would arrive.

Will this be the end of Glenn Beck? Most likely not. He's probably too self-righteous to apologize, and I doubt there's going to be much of a backlash from his audience. Not to mention that most of his sponsors will probably come running back after the mess blows over (which the democrats will probably try to stop at all costs). Do I think that Glenn Beck should be censored or reprimanded? No. I think his commentary is typically supported more by propaganda than fact, and I typically find his approach to commentary somewhere between unnecessarily spiteful and outright pathetic. Outside of baleful precedent, I doubt we'd loose much if he were taken off the air. But, I enjoy my freedom of speech, even if it means to I have to share it with skin-heads and other close-minded morons, and have neither desire nor patience for double standards.

However, this doesn't change the fact that I found his comments to be offensive and simple-minded. The President is a racist, really? Why, because he's willing to bring up issues of racism, despite it being more convenient for people like you to try and ignore them to death, even though you'll never have to deal with them? You think there's a double standard for women, minorities... oh, fuck it! ...for non-white/male/heterosexual persons to get into places of power in this country? You betcha! You know why? Because, apparently, the experiences that they have had in life might influence the way they see the world. Because, apparently, the experiences of us white/male/heterosexual persons do not influence the way we think. After all, its not like any of Glenn Beck's personal experiences have shaped the way he views the world and makes judgement calls. Nope. People like Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly are completely objective in their world views. God Bless America. Let's all have a drink, and go watch Madmen.

Obvious satire aside, I wouldn't urge anyone to make a fuss about this. In the grand scheme of things, this will most likely be a blip on the radar. Glenn Beck will return to acting like a whiny, arrogant, puke, and America will be neither the better nor the worse for it. If you agree with me in believing that he has nothing positive to add to society, then I would urge you to simply not watch his show (if his ratings disappear, then so will he). If you agree with Glenn Beck that people like me have nothing positive to add to society, then I'm somewhat curious as to why you bothered to read this. Oh well, at least it distracted you from your agenda for a few minutes. Score.

Jesus saves, and takes half damage.

A few moments ago, the Megabus I'm currently riding in passed by a sign that said, "Jesus died for the ungodly". Obviously, I wasn't particular fazed, but am I the only one who gets the feeling that Christians (read: evangelicals) have been really cranking up the heat (har har pun) on trying to guilt the rest of us heathens into joining them? It seems now that half the "Marketing for Christ" these days involves the flames of hell in one way or another. My favorite is a sign that pops up every now and then says "Jesus Saves" with flames encircling the text. Not to be picky, but flames are destructive, which sort of throws off the message a bit when you're trying to build a community. Whoops.

Though, admittedly, given the issues of the day, none of this should be particular surprising. After all, what could threaten the foundations of this country more than Gay Marriage? to think that we heathens have the audacity to panic about something to immaterial as the Global Market, when those damn liberals are letting homosexuals get married! It's not like they're tax paying citizens, who contribute just as much to society as much as everyone else does! Oh, wait.

Obviously, this isn't an argument that the signs should go away, that would be a violation of free speech. Though admittedly, I wouldn't object if an executive order came down to Fedex the Westboro Baptist Church to the moon (a man can dream...). In the mean time, I'll just mentally edit all of the rhetoric to either gaming equivalents (see the title) or into 1337 speak (He is the alpha and omega = He is teh  r007 and teh haxxorz).

One more time now...

So, I've decided to start anew with this blogging business. As most of you know, my first attempt at this was via a series of video-blogs on Facebook. The series didn't work out, primarily because I couldn't think of enough decent commentary worthy of rambling on about on a weekly basis. Since there's an option to upload video's here, I'll most likely make one occasionally. I might even start doing a weekly series, like Rant Thursdays or something, where I'll pick a topic and go on about it in my usual volatile manner. If there's something that anyone would like me to rant about specifically, please feel free to drop a suggestion.

Thats all folks.