How To Stop Terrorist Attacks Here in America

 The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  We keep on lighting candles, saying prayers and paying homage online to the innocent folks who keep getting killed by radicalized Muslims -a lot of them U.S. Citizens. This keeps happening over and over and over again and we keep voicing our horror and sadness and anger and lighting more candles.  Perhaps it's time we actually start asking ourselves what's making these people get so pissed off and outraged to the point where they think their only recourse is to blow themselves and a crowd of other innocent people up in protest. I'm tired of everyone just chalking these atrocities up to "terrorism" and deciding that the people who commit these crimes are just plain evil psychopaths with no legitimate reasons behind their actions.

For decades now, the big bad U.S. Government has inserted its mighty military into places and issues that we have no business being involved with. We've used our incredibly brave and dedicated men and women of the United States Armed Forces as pawns to carry out our Government's underhanded and dirty little wars that are always dressed up to look like another noble endeavor in preserving OUR freedom and way of life.  But if you look at the real facts behind why we did what we did (and exactly what we did) in Iraq and Afghanistan, you'll find far less noble pretenses. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of INNOCENT people in Iraq and Afghanistan have been killed by the United States military. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of people have lost their homes, their families, their cities, their entire way of life because of the U.S. A lot of these people were already weary and ragged from years of wars within their own country and religion and then the U.S. comes along and dumps more shit on them and makes their lives and their futures even more difficult and uncertain.

It’s all fine and good to hate, despise, and blame the people who perpetrate these senseless attacks on innocent people here on American soil, but let's not stop the blame train with them... let's keep it going to our Government and our military leaders who have wreaked havoc on the Muslim people and countries and then left them all in shambles. They’re also responsible for THOUSANDS of dead brave men and women in the U.S. military who serve without hesitation and without question. All those brave souls didn’t have to die and thousands more of their fellow soldiers didn’t have to lose body parts and their sanity in wars that had absolutely nothing to do with protecting our freedom. What those wars did do is piss off a whole bunch of already-pissed-off people and gave them a nice big target on which to take out decades of frustration and anger.  So while you’re lighting candles and sending prayers to the families of those brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, maybe think about cleaning house in Washington and help get all these war-mongering, money-grubbing fucktards out of office and get in some true American patriots who can get this country back on its feet and get our military out of places it doesn’t belong. That’s the ONLY way we’re going to make any positive strides in reducing these terrorist attacks (home-grown and otherwise) on our own soil.

Strap yourselves in! It's almost that time again!!

In some ways, politics is a lot like the NFL.  In the NFL, you have all these die-hard fans who get behind a team for any number of reasons and blindly follow that team until the end of time. In reality, all an NFL fan is really rooting for is a color scheme and a logo. Each team consists of a lot of over-paid atheletes from all over the country who end up an any given team because of back room deals, trades, and lucrative contracts. Most fans argue that they're rooting for the "home team" -even though none of the players of that team call the fan's home their home.  They're there because they're getting paid to be there.  And yet fans keep on blindly following and, when referring to the team, they say things like "We need to beef up our defense" as if they're actually a part of the team. That's frickin' hilarious to me.

It's the same thing with the two major political parties and all their "fans". Staunch Democrats and Republicans who pretty much swallow anything their party bosses tell them.  They jump on the bandwagon every election cycle and get behind whoever their party puts forth as the front-runner. They agree whole-heartedly that everything that's wrong with this country is the other party's fault. Many actually believe that, once their candidate takes office, things will really change.

It's like believing there's any difference between any of the NFL teams. There isn't - they are all collectively "The NFL" and their primary goal is to bilk you for as much money as humanly possible, regardless of what team you're rooting for.

Politics is the same way. You think there's a difference between Republicans and Democrats but there isn't. They're working together to ensure that they, and they alone, retain control of the United states of America. All that blame-gaming and fiery rhetoric is just smoke and mirrors to prevent you from realizing they're all just one big greedy organization dead set to stay in power and do whatever the hell they want. Year after year; election after election.  And their primary goal is to bilk you for as much money as humanly possible. I wish I could say that that was hilarious to me as well. It's not.  It's scary.  Scary that so many of us drink this kool-aid year after year and still expect things to change and get better.

With the 2016 General Election right around the corner, I can't wait to hear how the new candidates are going to change this country and bring about new hope for the coming years.  I look forward to the new and innovative ways that the Democrats and Republicans will prevent any viable third-party candidates from joining the debates and getting on the ballot. The excitement is almost more than I can bear.

Football, Rice, and Videotape

The entire way this whole Ray Rice incident was handled really pisses me off.  Let me first go on record by saying that I loathe and detest the Baltimore Ravens and I don't have a lot of love for any NFL player that gets himself in trouble over stupid stuff.  Knocking out your drunk girlfriend with a left hook falls in the category of 'stupid stuff'. Mom always told me "never hit a girl" and, so far after 45 years of life, I've managed to follow that advice.  I'm not saying there weren't some very close calls - and I'm not claiming there can't be exceptions to the rule. But one thing is for sure, you should never left-hook your girlfriend or wife -no matter what- because this is the person you're supposed to love. This isn't same random raving female lunatic who comes out of nowhere trying to kill you, this is the person you love... your potential soulmate, your other half. Love is war sometimes; I get that.  But, for God's sake, just walk away from her and punch the nearest wall if the argument is getting THAT heated and she's got you THAT wound up.

So, yeah, dumbass move Ray Rice... clocking your girlfriend like that.  And, unfortunately for you, big brother was watching and got the entire incident on video so you, your now-wife, and the rest of the world can relive that dumbass move over and over and over again. I don't think anyone will disagree with me when I say he was in the wrong and what he did was a major no-no.  Great. We've established that.

The other fact that most people will not argue about is that the NFL's punishment for Ray Rice did not even come close to fitting the crime. You cold-clock your girlfriend and knock her unconscious, end up getting charged with assault, and the best the NFL can do is suspend you for two games?! Yeah, I can understand why a lot of people were outraged.  It became a running joke.  Every time another NFL player was punished, it was compared to Ray Rice's punishment. But to Ray's credit, he came out and sounded genuinely contrite about the entire incident. Was he really sorry or just sorry he got caught? I don't know.  Is he just a nice guy who lost his head?  I don't know that either. Only time will tell. But what followed among Ravens folks was a general "forgive and forget" attitude in Baltimore.  And after taking a lot of heat over the less-than-adequate punishment handed down to Ray Rice, the NFL changed their policy so that if and when something like this happens again, the punishment would be much worse - a six-game suspension for first-time offenders, and a potential lifetime ban for repeat offenders.  Everybody makes mistakes -some of them grievous. Ray Rice got off light, the NFL had egg on its face, but at the end of the day it looked to me like some positives had still come out of the whole mess. Ray and his girl got married (maybe she's just a terminal victim but I'd like to think maybe they worked things out in their relationship so no more boxing matches take place), the NFL is now prepared to treat future domestic violence cases as the serious crimes they are, and we witnessed that people can be forgiven and move on with being better people in their lives despite dumbass moves.  Ah, a happy ending.

And then TMZ (one of the shittiest organizations on the face of the earth) releases the entire video of that awful night with Ray and his girl... including the actual brutal punch that knocked her out cold in the elevator.  Suddenly, all the progress that had been made over the past months was wiped from everyone's memory. Now that folks could actually SEE the punch -the abuse- well, suddenly, that changed everything.  Suddenly Ray Rice was back in the dog house, fallen from grace and forgiveness and now just a piece-of-shit woman beater.

Why? Just take the video out of this equation for a second.  We all already knew that he punched his girl hard enough to knock her out. We all already knew that he was charged with assault.  We saw how the NFL handed down a less-than-adequate punishment and then saw Ray Rice publicly apologize. We witnessed major NFL policy changes as a result of this whole incident, and then we (or at least I) saw the Ravens organization as a whole stand up for Ray Rice and basically say "Yeah, he made a really horrible mistake.  He committed a terrible crime. But you know what, we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt. We're going to forgive him because we believe he's a good person and that this was just a dumbass move that he will learn from and never ever do again.” Ray was warmly greeted by fans during the preseason. Players and coaches had nothing but good things to say about him.

No one should really need to actually see the video to realize that what Ray Rice did was brutal. We already knew that he knocked her out cold -what, does everyone think he did that with a little slap or a tap on the cheek?!  No one was able to put two and two together in their head and say to themself "man, he must've clocked her good!" -c'mon, really!?!  We all know the facts of what happened.  The problem is we're a bunch of suckers when it comes to sensational videos.  Never mind the facts, just show us some controversial, sensational video and we'll all just lose any modicum of common sense we may have had and totally lose our minds.  Way to go TMZ!  If you read any of my previous posts in this blog, you already know I HATE the media and all they do to stir the pot.  TMZ is no different.

In my humble opinion, Ray Rice should've been suspended for the entire season from the get-go. I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash if the NFL would’ve banned him for life. But he wasn't because the NFL seriously dropped the ball on handing down sufficient punishment. He already received his punishment from our criminal justice system, so that's pretty much a moot point. To their credit, the NFL changed their policy for the better.  That was a good thing.  And then everyone else seemed to move on (not saying there weren't a whole lotta people still pissed off).  Ray apologized; the Ravens organization and fans seemed to say "OK Ray, we'll give you another chance" and that right there should have been the end of this entire terrible episode. 

But it wasn't.  We all took a huge step BACKWARDS when TMZ released the video.  Everyone in the Ravens camp did a complete 180-degree about-face and turned on Ray like he had done ANOTHER bad thing. All because a video showed in graphic detail what we all already knew -and had decided to leave in the past.  What does that really say about us as human beings?  If we had had this reaction from the beginning, I'd have no problem with it. But we all sort of flip-flopped and in the course of 10 hours, Ray went from the poster child for redemption to the devil incarnate. Sorry folks, that's messed up.  Ray Rice remains the same guy he always was (for better or worse) whether you see that video or not. The only thing that changed after seeing that video is the forgiveness that a LOT of people willingly gave to Ray Rice.  To me that's just as shitty of a move as Ray clocking his girlfriend in the elevator.

Stop Bitching, Start DOING

 

Folks who bitch about the sad state of affairs in this country, yet continue to vote for the same group of idiots election after election, really piss me off.

Our government was shut down for 16 days while a bunch of rich, childish politicians argued with, threatened, and blamed each other for the shutdown.  They played a game of chicken while holding the entire country hostage to see which side would blink first.  Millions of us common citizens suffered and worried while these detached assholes in Washington played their belligerent childish games.  And at the end of the game, we really don't have any clear and final resolution to the problem, do we?  What do you think we have to look forward to come January?
 
Of course, we all expressed our outrage -while essentially doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about these morons.  If you drank the Republican Kool-Aid, you blamed the President and his allies. If you drank the Democratic Kool-Aid, you blamed the Republicans and their Tea Party Conservatives.  Me? I don't like Kool-Aid. I blame the entire corrupt, dysfunctional, and out-of-date government; starting with the President and including every single member of Congress.  They're all inept, greedy, and ignorant when it comes to addressing and tackling the real problems in this country.  They're all controlled by special interests groups, lobbyists, and multi-billion-dollar corporations and benefactors.  They CLEARLY do not have the common person's best interests or well-being at the top of their agenda.

Sadly, it's been this way for DECADES.  We keep letting the same two corrupt and morally bankrupt parties -The Democrats and Republicans- run this country into the ground.  We're somehow stupid enough to believe that things will change just because we get a new name to elect.  We're WRONG.  And we better all come to this realization collectively or we're all headed to hell in a hand basket by way of the express lane.

NOW is the time to DEMAND change.  Our system of government is antiquated and inept.  In this age of Internet and technology please explain to me why in the HELL we need 535 congressmen to run things!!  I understand why, back in our forefathers' day, this was a plausible idea, but things have changed DRASTICALLY since the 1800s -and yet our system/structure of Government has stayed pretty much the same.  Entire industries have sprung up -while others have died away- thanks to miraculous advances in technology and education.  We've changed and revolutionized the way we communicate, do business, and travel. And yet, NOTHING has changed as far as the way our Government is run.  This two-party choke hold has been in place for a hundred years and we keep letting it be that way.  The entire way we vote is rigged by these two parties and we end up with the same two shitty choices being shoved down our throats every four years: Democrat or Republican -sure the names change... Bush, Obama, Clinton, etc. But are you really that fucking STUPID to think that there is really ANY difference?  These people are just puppets of their party.  And the same two parties keep doing the same dumb shit to this country year after year after year.  They fight with each other over money and power while the rest of us suffer the consequences.

So, for God's Sake, what do you say we DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS NOW?! --Before 2014 rolls around and we're stuck with the same bullshit election laws.  Let's make sure the next General election ISN'T controlled by the Democrats and Republicans. Let's fight for truly OPEN and FAIR elections and let's elect some folks that are true subject matter experts who aren't afraid of revamping the Government and actually FIXING the problems we have.

Start by educating yourself - turn off the news -they're all just recycling soundbites from the two major parties.  Seek out organizations that are trying to effect REAL change in this country and give them your support.  Get involved.  Be the change.  Stop bitching and start doing. Nobody wins in this two-party choke hold.  We all lose. 

Land of Apathetic, Home of the Depraved

The apathy and downright idiocy of the majority of the American population really pisses me off.  How much longer are we all going to sit around and watch a bunch of inept, over-paid, infantile assholes systematically run this country into the ground?  How bad do things have to get before we come to the realization that this two-party pissing contest is corrupt and ineffective and that the time for change is RIGHT NOW.  These so-called elected 'representatives' do not, in fact, represent the will and opinions of the common people.  The entire process which got them elected is, in fact, rigged and controlled by the two parties themselves.  And the two parties are puppets to the corporate Goliaths and billionaires that control the majority of the wealth in this country.  This is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave.  It's the playground of the rich, inept and greedy who continually make a mockery out of the system of democracy that our forefathers had so painstakingly forged.

Millions of us regular Americans are breaking our backs every day just to try to make ends meet for ourselves and our families. Add to that the hundreds of thousands of our men and women in uniform bravely and selflessly defending our American way of life both here and abroad for a salary that any senator or congressman would consider laughable. The national debt keeps rising while the middle class steadily slides deeper and deeper into poverty while the greedy, filthy rich 1% keep getting richer and keep finding ways to make even more money and profits.

Meanwhile, we all sit by and watch - many of us duped into drinking either the Democratic or Republican Kool-Aid along with the notion that it's the OTHER party's fault we're in the mess we're in.  That's all we really have on Capitol Hill; a bunch of pointing fingers and belligerent screaming children determined to get their way while preventing the opposing group of belligerent children from getting their way.  These rich, stubborn assholes have absolutely NO IDEA what we, the regular folks in America, are going through.  They live in a world that is totally detached from the reality that we all live and breath and suffer through on a daily basis.

The plain and simple fact -- the irrefutable fact -- is that our Government DOESN'T WORK -- the people who have been elected to do a specific job continue, year after year after year, to FAIL MISERABLY at doing that job. Things continue to get worse, and yet we all DO NOTHING besides bitch and moan and look for who to blame.  We're all to blame for letting these assholes to continue to get rich while playing a pissing game where the only losers are the common citizens.

If the Government shuts down tomorrow.  Every single member of Congress and the Senate along with the President of the United States need to be held directly responsible and then FIRED and replaced by people who aren't part of a political machine or puppets of the wealthy.  REAL people. REAL Subject Matter Experts who can come up with a plan and move forward with it quickly.

Top of the Food Chain, Bottom of the Class

Top-of-the-Food-Chain-Asshole-Humans really piss me off. Especially when it comes to all of us assuming all the world’s lesser evolved inhabitants are ours to do with as we please. For centuries now we’ve been trudging all over this earth like a bull in a china shop, killing things, polluting the land and air, and taking whatever the hell we wanted –whether it was a rare species of animal or a precious natural resource. You would think, as time moves forward and our technology and knowledge advances, that we would be able to see the harm we’ve done –and continue to do- and, as an entire race, come together in an effort to halt or even reverse some of the barbaric practices that we consider normal in this day and age. Sadly, that’s not the case though. 

For instance, why do we STILL keep hundreds of thousands of animals in captivity in zoos, amusement parks, and –worst of all- circus shows? Don’t give me that argument about educating people about all the animals and how to ensure all species survive the next hundred years. That’s all bullshit. I’d buy that argument if we were talking a hundred years ago, but in today’s society zoos, animal parks, and circuses serve one main purpose: Entertainment for the Masses. That’s it, plain and simple. I think we know enough about lions and tigers and bears and zebras and every other widely exploited animal species to educate everyone without having to keep these animals in man-made enclosures and living conditions that are, many times, woefully inadequate. You want to work to preserve all species, then start by letting them be FREE. You want to learn about a specific animal, get on the Internet! No need to keep all these living samples just so folks can come and gawk at them. What kind of life is that?! It’s equivalent to me getting put in a jail cell under the guise of saving my life and being able to study me close up. C’mon, folks… we’re WAY past that. 

Every day around the world, people pay big bucks to sit and watch exotic and majestic animals perform stupid tricks in shows simply for our amusement. Dolphins, whales, sea lions, seals, elephants, horses, monkeys, apes… all imprisoned and exploited by humans posing as “animal experts” and “animal lovers” all for the sake of profit. Hey, why not, we’re all at the top of the food chain –we can do whatever the hell we want! It’s horrible the way we treat animals. 

Maybe some animals are content to be pets of humans. I have dogs and a cat and they both seem pretty content. But I really consider these animals members of our family. Can you say the same about a killer whale that you keep in a tiny tank of water at a water park? You think he’s happy about his living conditions? Ordered to do tricks and obey commands like some sort of slave. But yet everyone is shocked and appalled when a trainer or handler gets killed by one of these animals. Well, DUH! 

I’ve seen first-hand how the majority of race horses are treated. It’s sad. They’re just vehicles. Once they’ve served their purpose, a lot of them are discarded like an old sweater. You want to race? Get off your fat ass and RUN then… don’t make animals do the work for you. Do I even have to mention greyhounds? Same thing there. Profit and our own entertainment always seem to come before the freedom and rights of all livings things. Maybe one day we will become wiser... or just become the victims of our own stupidity.

On the Cover of the Rolling Stone

Seeing the new cover of Rolling Stone magazine featuring Boston bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev reminded me of the outrage I felt that day.  But it was directed at folks other than the two moron terrorists so I guess the title of this blog is a little bit misleading.  But I got your attention, right?

The Boston bombing was yet another needless tragedy caused by individuals who undoubtedly have a very flawed and misguided way of thinking and an absence of love in their heart.  It continually saddens me every time something like this happens.  I'm sad for all the innocent wounded and dead that get caught up in these senseless acts of hatred, violence, and terrorism.  And then I get even more sad when I realize this isn't the last time any of us will see something like this happen. 

My famous fall-back phrase is: "We are surrounded by idiots." -it's true.  Terrorists, psychopaths, and just plain stupid people are among our population every day and there's no 100%-effective way to stop one of these weirdos from detonating a bomb or going on a shooting or stabbing spree or driving their truck down the sidewalk of a busy city street, plowing down pedestrians.  This is the world we live in today.  And the best we can do is protect ourselves as best we can and learn to live in the shadow of this impending danger. 

Every time one of these senseless acts of violence occurs, everyone from common citizens to politicians to terrorism and security experts are quick to offer their best ideas and opinions on how to stop this from happening again.  I think it's our way of coping -fooling ourselves into a false sense of security.  Granted, we're probably a whole lot safer from radical Islamic terrorist today than we were 10 years ago, but there's no guarantee something on the scale of 9/11 won't ever happen again.  This world is too big and there's just too many people out there who are capable of and predisposed to doing evil.  But rather than viewing this as a hopeless situation, I'm going to try to view as just the way things are.  I can't waste a whole lot of time rearranging major aspects of my life worrying about whether I or my family will the the next victim of a senseless act of violence.  If it's one thing to take away from all this it's that life is fleeting and precious.  Don't spend too much time looking ahead... live in the now and cherish and enjoy every moment.  Because, if we learned anything from the past few tragedies it's that we're not 100% safe anywhere... not the grocery store, not at school, not at church, and not running a marathon in Boston.  That's why these things are almost always referred to as senseless acts.  They don't make any sense.

I purposely AVOIDED the majority of media coverage surrounding this tragedy while everyone was busy speculating over who was responsible for such a barbaric act.  Then, when police did have suspects identified, there was another news media frenzy.  Because, let's face it, we like -need- to have someone or something to blame when things like this happen so we, as Americans, can take action and get revenge or put measures in place to guarantee it never happens again.  We end up with a lot of knee-jerk accusations and reactions from a whole lot of people. And we all end up paying for these barbaric acts of others. We indirectly get punished by having more restrictions placed upon our daily lives while giving the police and government more authority and leeway when it comes to searches and investigations.

I guess what really pisses me off is there are some obvious people to blame for the increase in the number of senseless terrorist-type attacks occurring on American soil perpetrated by both foreign and domestic evil-doers.  But no one seems to really direct much outrage towards these folks.  Who are they?

1. The American News Media. Rather than just reporting the news and the facts, the TV news stations have morphed into a form of variety talk show and whenever anything like this happens, you get around-the-clock coverage which goes well above and beyond reporting the news and the facts.  Instead, you get to hear every conceivable back-story and theory about who, why, how, and when.  You get to hear from a parade of subject matter experts giving their opinions and thoeries.  And you get to hear, over and over again in agonizing detail, the same basic facts of the incident.  So, basically, every time something like this happens, it becomes a nationally televised events for days and weeks.  Once the culprits were identified, every aspect of their life was discected and splashed across the news, making them a sort of media star.  And now we have one of them gracing the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.  Wow.  All this does is inspire others to commit similar senseless acts because they know if they succeed, it will become a nationally televised event -and they, or their cause, will be in the national spot light for a while.  Thanks American News Media!  The blood of thousands of Americans is on your collective hands.  Just shut the fuck up and report the news, the facts, and any important updates as they become available. Stop with the around-the-clock coverage... you're not after the truth, you're after the RATINGS!

2. The United States Government.  If you go around whacking enough bee hives with your big stick -no matter how big and bad and protected you think you are- eventually you're gonna get stung.  That, my friends, is what is happening now.  We barged into Afghanistan and Iraq, waving the flag and claiming we were protecting our way of life by erradicating terrorism from the globe.  Yeah... sure. First of all, you can't irradicate terrorism.  There's always going to be one or two BILLION people in the world that don't agree with you.  Hell, a lot of them may actually hate you.  You can't beat or bomb these people into your way of thinking and if you try to do so, all you're going to do is piss off more people in the process.  This is fucking common sense and it's been going on for decades.  We've lost hundreds of thousands of our soldiers fighting wars in Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq -wars that we really had NO BUSINESS sticking our nose in.  And yet we never seem to learn the lesson. 

Why don't we just get the hell out of the Middle East?!  Stop sending all our money to our so-called friends and allies in that part of the world who will turn on a dime and rally against us.  You don't like us? Fine! We don't like you either.  You stay on your side of the world and we'll stay on ours.  We've got enough shit to fix right here in our own country without worrying how Pakistan or Egypt are doing or whether the whole Middle East will be taken over by radical Muslims. Fine!  It's about time we stopped making a few hundred oil executives filthy rich and seriously switch to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources anyway.  Screw the entire Middle East and all their oil. They need us just as much as we need their oil.  There's obviously a very large chasm between our way of thinking and theirs.  Let's just accept that for what it is and stop trying to fix the entire world while our own country is spiralling downward into a massive shitball of poverty, debt, and human crisis.