As I have alluded to in earlier posts, I come from a dysfunctional family. This is probably the chief reason I feel "at home" on joeuser despite being utterly pissed off a decent percentage of the time. The anonymity of this site gives us freedom to vent readily, sometimes before engaging our brain, and feelings get hurt. Once we put our brain in gear, however, things get back to normal. The things we right are things about which we are passionate; and the responses we get are from p...

For those keeping score at home, I goofed in my last entry. This is article number 11, not article number 10, on my series on the Libertarian Party platform. Articles 1-10 may be found in my archives under the heading "politics". For more information on the Libertarian Party, please go to www.lp.org or email me at miner432004@yahoo.com For Online Privacy "The individual's right to privacy, property, and right to speak or not to speak should not be infringed by the government. The ...

As much as I hate diatribes against Christianity, I understand where they're coming from. Really. For too long, the most visible and vocal among Christians have preached a gospel of intolerance, bigotry and hatred, to the point where even many CHRISTIANS perceive them as a majority. And many Christians have resigned themselves to a life of complacency, figuring that showing up before their "bro" Jesus is more than enough to absolve them of their sins. In short, Christianity is at war wi...

This is part 9 of my articles on the Libertarian Party platform. Please feel free to archive articles 1-8 under the "politics" heading. If you want any more information on the Libertarian Party, please feel free to go to the official party website at: www.lp.org or email me at miner432004@yahoo.com: Highlights of the Libertarian Party's "Ending the Welfare State" Proposal E-MAIL THIS PAGE PRINTABLE VERSION From across the political and ideological spectrum, there is now almo...

Pigeon lovers in Britain think they have a way to keep the nation's growing population of peregrine falcons from making an after dinner snack of their prized pigeons. The groups are planning to spray their pigeons with a spray or feed them food to cause them to leave a bitter taste in the peregrines' beaks. While they acknowledge the proposed spray may affect the aerodynamics of their beloved birds, they feel there are few choices to stop the predatory falcons' raid on their pigeons. My...

Pigeon lovers in Britain think they have a way to keep the nation's growing population of peregrine falcons from making an after dinner snack of their prized pigeons. The groups are planning to spray their pigeons with a spray or feed them food to cause them to leave a bitter taste in the peregrines' beaks. While they acknowledge the proposed spray may affect the aerodynamics of their beloved birds, they feel there are few choices to stop the predatory falcons' raid on their pigeons. My...

OK, this one off the funny papers. In the now growing war against me (no, I'm not kidding, it's gotten pretty stupid), I have been accused of violating someone's human rights. Did I hack into their computer and edit their blogs? Did I manipulate joeuser's servers and hide them? No...I CRITICIZED them. For this, I get categorized as a "human rights" violator. Please show me any international agreement that stipulates the right to blog without criticism. It isn't there. What I canno...

I try to be a generally good global citizen. I compost, recycle, teach my kids the value of a dollar, and the idea of unconditional regard for all of God's creation. But I also teach them to stand up for what they believe in, and will live my life no other way. I have to look at myself in the mirror each morning. The latest crop of "political correctness" now teaches that Islam is a religion of peace, and that they're misunderstood by Western society. Meanwhile, conservative Christia...

This is article 9 on the Libertarian Party platform. Articles 1-8 can be found in my archives under the "politics" section. If you want more information on the Libertarian Party, please go to: www.lp.com or contact me at: miner432004@yahoo.com: The benefits of open immigration BY MICHAEL TANNER America has always been a nation of immigrants. Thomas Jefferson emphasized this basic part of the American heritage, taking note of "the natural right which all men have of relinquishing the cou...

This "tales from the road" is going to be different than the previous entries, as it describes hiking, one of my favorite activities. We set out to hike the entire Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which follows Lake Superior's southern shoreline in Michigan's upper peninsula. Our guide was experienced to the area, and had the trip plotted out for 43 miles over 5 days. We set out on day one to rain, which continued the entire day and was a delige until two of us reached camp, as breakoffs...

For five and a half years, I managed group homes for the developmentally disabled. I was "salary plus", meaning that, while I was salaried, I still got paid for overtime past my scheduled 46 hours a week. I was quite definitely a "professional" employee, and my salary was just over $24,000 a year. I was unable to hold another job or even pursue a further education without the consent of my employer, so my salary was limited to what my employer paid me. I was expected to be on call 24/7, an...

Jeremy Wariner is the new Olympic champion in the men's 400 meters. Jeremy Wariner is also white. That last statement shouldn't matter. But to the media, to competing athletes, to many observers of the Olympics, it does. Let's not look at the hours of training that this man has put in, the sacrifices he has put in his time, his talent, and his money...the things that really matter. What irritates me about the attention given to Wariner's accomplishments is not what it does to the ...

I stated in my earlier blogs about the error of my younger days, and how I spent time in the county jail. During that time, I gained a good deal of insight as to how stereotypes are built up. I have found that ex inmates almost always have some level of prejudice. During my time in the Pierce County Correctional Center in late 1988-early 1989, I found out a good deal why. Inside many of the cell blocks, the blacks tend to mingle with the blacks, the hispanics with the hispanics, and so ...

This just in, folks: The International Olympic Committee has just announced that, beginning in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, a new sport will be added which will become the first sport to be featured at both the summer and winter games. This will be the Olympic Whining competition. The need for such a medal was sparked in 2002, when Canada's pairs figure skating team successfully whined their way to Olympic gold in a sport whose scores are based on subjective judgements. It was reinfor...

This just in, folks: The International Olympic Committee has just announced that, beginning in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, a new sport will be added which will become the first sport to be featured at both the summer and winter games. This will be the Olympic Whining competition. The need for such a medal was sparked in 2002, when Canada's pairs figure skating team successfully whined their way to Olympic gold in a sport whose scores are based on subjective judgements. It was reinfor...