It was not that long ago that rape trials would center on the sexual life of the accuser. Basically, one had to be practically a nun in order to get any justice in many of those trials. The mentality was named the "blame the victim" mentality, and was rightly shunned for the stinking thinking that it was. A look at today's headlines shows just how far we've gone back to the "blame the victim" mentality. Only it's not rape this time, it's mass murder. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071108/ap...
Throughout my life, I have always been told that Republicans are the party of the rich, and Democrats the party of the poor. This is likely because Republicans have traditionally been associated with conservatives and Democrats with liberals (the truth of those stereotypes is not something I will discuss in the body of this article; it's too tangential). What I have noticed that feeds this stereotype, though, is that conservatives are better business people than liberals. And because people a...
As I was thinking about the big bad world of economics the other day, a thought occurred to me. I've long realized that the current approaches to poverty are dead wrong. They don't help, and in too many instances, exacerbate the very problems they were meant to remedy. One of the biggest problems is the activists who decry the income disparity from the rich and poor. As I've come to look at the big picture, I've come to realize that lack of education is the most common reason that disparity e...
I was 14 years old when I got my first lesson in the bigotted ideals that guided my so called "liberal" family. My brother was learning to drive, and my dad had purchased his first car for him. He was talking with my brother about driving, and contemptuously referring to the "rich bitches" who drove fancier cars to the school. And it didn't end there. My father never had a kind word for anyone who was successful. They were all liars, cheats, and dishonest in his eyes. Small wonder, th...
I feel sorry for Oprah Winfrey, I really do. I know that she meant a world of good when she set up her school for girls in South Africa. She meant to give them a hope and a promise of a better future. And that makes Oprah Winfrey a marvelous woman in my book, regardless of the actions of her staff. But she learned all too well that the liberal mantra that "it takes a village" is so deluded, so wrong, as to be dangerous. It's the same lesson that we should learn from our own US foster care ...
As a tech geek, I have been asked several times what to get for everyone's favorite techie. This year, I've decided to compile a list of top ten tech gifts for under $20 for those who want to buy a meaningful gift on a budget. That, and it gives me the chance to promote a few favorite sites. In compiling this list, I only chose good sample products. You may find a brand you like better, a website you like better or something slightly different. I only put the list together as a starting point...
I've always had people appreciate my ear for music. Before I sang, I would have people buy me beers to select the playlist on the jukebox. When I started singing but before I began playing, I would have people buy me drinks to sing their favorite song on karaoke. But a couple of weeks ago, I received my first buck as a musician. A friend had come in from out of town and I was at work. I went to meet him after I was done at work. He was at a restaurant, which was closing. I pulled into the par...
(This is a rough draft of a song I'm working on. You're getting the edited version...lol! All stories in the song are taken from actual events) Far From Washington He puts his head in his calloused hands Yet another bill to pay And the check that he makes working down in the mines Won't last another day. The baby's wearing shop rags for diapers Because the washing machine gave out And through the thin walls of the apartment He can hear the neighbours shout. But you'll never hear his...
As 2008 grows nearer and with it the insanity of the Presidential election and all of the accompanying House and Senate races to complete the three ring circus, it's becoming apparent there are issues that they cannot ignore if they have any hope of winning. While the establishment would argue that we have no chance of winning anyway, the growing disenchantment with the political status quo cause me to beg to differ. All we lack is a candidate that can run the distance, something that may be nea...
(Note: this is a bit of a diary piece. I have a lot of crap running through my head right now, and I need to filter it somehow) In the highways in the hedges In the highways in the hedges In the highways in the hedges I'll be somewhere a workin for my Lord (The Carter Family, In the Highways ) &nbs...
For years, the religious right has clamored for a leader that represents their valies. That espouses the "family" values they hold dear, values, they say, that are consistent with those of our founding fathers (remember, though, that THEIR perception does not necessarily equal reality!). And in this upcoming election, there are two whose values come close to those conservative Christians hold dear. One of them they won't even consider. For a conservative Christian, there's little not t...
A few weeks ago, this thought came to me: We've lived too long under the government we deserve. It's time to give ourselves the government our GRANDCHILDREN deserve! You see, for too many years, we have operated our government on the "play now, pay later" principle. Debt has seldom been taken seriously, as we feel that we can simply repay the money we're borrowing at some esoteric later time. But it doesn't take a great economist's mind to see the flaw in this. If our government is livi...
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. This overused cliche is appropriate for this film, which recycles cliches over the entire course of the movie. I don't need to give a plot summary of this movie, because it's a plot you've seen many times over. A confident and successful single dad becomes a fish out of water when the child he never knew he had shows up at his doorstep. Over the course of the movie, he bonds with his daughter, and she with him, and both discover things...
For those who have come to know me and my politics, I am a person caught between a few different worlds politically. I self identify as a Libertarian, and that would be a fair summation of my philosophy, albeit an overly simplistic one. I am a Libertarian not because I see perfection in the party, but because I see it as the party most given to the kinds of reforms I feel are necessary. I have no home in the Democratic Party because they've forgotten the poor they claim to champion, and be...
Zoologist wrote an excellent article on why the phrase "just a theory" irritates scientists ( https://forums.joeuser.com/?forumid=11&aid=165215#1333538 ). While it is not my intention to ridicule his point, there is another side, one I felt should be expressed. The following is my rebuttal to his argument: Well said; however, it must be stated that a theory is ALWAYS open for debate or discussion. A theory differs substantially from a law in this regard. One of the problems with global ...