This is my favorite holiday without a doubt. I celebrate this day with all the gusto I can muster and I'm not the least bit sorry for it. I'm so excited for this day I can't stand it.
I'm going to a kid's parade in the morning and then the 'grand' parade my town has. After the grand parade I'm going to a revolutionary war reenactment and watch redcoats and minutemen shoot at each other...I hope we win this year.
After that my family is coming to my house and we're gonna stuff ourselves with food and pretend to like each other until it gets dark...then we'll go see a fireworks show. If I had more land I'd explode stuff myself...maybe in a year or two.
I enjoy the story of this country and the miracle of its founding. It's a story I never grow tired of hearing. The principles of liberty are so core to our culture...even among conservatives and liberals. I love my country and I'm proud to be a citizen of the United States.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
Schizo Society
A social observation that simply needs to be made.
I've sat and watched over a period of nearly a couple of years as young people have experienced the early demise of friends through the irresponsible use of drugs and alcohol and the whole party lifestyle.
I've followed closely in particular those who consider themselves to be close to my niece's husband who was the victim of a hit and run where the driver was under at least some influence of alcohol and on his way to score some meth for his exciting sleepless weekend. So many close to the situation resented the driver for the heinous crime that he committed, leaving a man for dead on the side of the road.
What has floored me is that these same people who resent this man so much would've probably found themselves in the same circle, or at the same parties if only he hadn't killed their friend. I've looked at their myspace accounts and read in the weeks that followed Jon's death their discussions about their way cool, out of control, party lifestyle.
So Schizo are these people that they cry and curse the driver for being such a POS, and then only a day following an emotional and heartwrenching memorial tribute to their friend they talk about being under the influence of the same substances as the driver...the man they now hate.
The words of King Solomon reflect what these people are all about:
"Like a dog that returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."
I believe it is me that truly needs to accept the fact that my life's mission is to help people and sometimes it involves helping dumbasses.
Back to more Bush bashing soon, I promise.
I've sat and watched over a period of nearly a couple of years as young people have experienced the early demise of friends through the irresponsible use of drugs and alcohol and the whole party lifestyle.
I've followed closely in particular those who consider themselves to be close to my niece's husband who was the victim of a hit and run where the driver was under at least some influence of alcohol and on his way to score some meth for his exciting sleepless weekend. So many close to the situation resented the driver for the heinous crime that he committed, leaving a man for dead on the side of the road.
What has floored me is that these same people who resent this man so much would've probably found themselves in the same circle, or at the same parties if only he hadn't killed their friend. I've looked at their myspace accounts and read in the weeks that followed Jon's death their discussions about their way cool, out of control, party lifestyle.
So Schizo are these people that they cry and curse the driver for being such a POS, and then only a day following an emotional and heartwrenching memorial tribute to their friend they talk about being under the influence of the same substances as the driver...the man they now hate.
The words of King Solomon reflect what these people are all about:
"Like a dog that returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."
I believe it is me that truly needs to accept the fact that my life's mission is to help people and sometimes it involves helping dumbasses.
Back to more Bush bashing soon, I promise.
Many Thanks
Thanks to everyone for kind letters, emails, and cards during the past couple of weeks. I'm very humbled by the generosity that many of you have shown to my two nieces. They have expressed many heartfelt moments opening envelopes with kind words of encouragement and financial gifts.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
A call for help
I apologize for using the blog to draw your attention to something else but my family has had a tough week as a result of a tragedy. If you'd like more information about the possibility of helping two deserving people then please head over to my main site I use to promote my book.
Thank you,
-tracy
Thank you,
-tracy
Straw Poll '08
Get out your straws. Tell me who you would support if they announced their candidacy right now. Only restrictions are that they must be eligible for the presidency and be currently alive. Normally a person has to be alive to be a candidate but I'm reasonably sure that Gerald Ford was a robot.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Ann Coulter
I had a request to blog about Ann (you know who you are) because she just released another book and she was just criticized heavily by Hilary Clinton who is the smartest woman on the face of the earth except for Washington Governor Christine Gregoire.
I haven't read Ann's book nor have I read any of her books. I have however heard her in several interviews on different websites and she is never and I mean never shy about backing up something she writes. In fact she usually takes her words and makes them more harsh.
First of all, I find Ann Coulter's attitude funny. She is an iconoclast not a politician. (I also find Al Franken funny) It's a politician's job to be diplomatic and attempt to make everyone happy by using double-talk and BS. The job of an iconoclast is to challenge what are commonly held perceptions from a contrary point of view. She's good at it and besides she's trying to sell books. Personally, I relate to her attitudes because I also love seeing icons torn down, but I won't defend her. She can defend herself.
What about the wives of the 9/11 victims that she has been criticizing?
It's the role of an iconoclast to say unpleasant things sometimes. Most of the victims have struggled to go on with their lives, but others have attempted to become public figures using the leverage of their victim status. I refuse to accept that once these people become public figures they are 'untouchable' because they're also high-profile victims. If being an activist is your way of grieving then I'm sorry; you've chosen a terrible way to grieve that will never really help you to heal.
It's like how Grump has told me several times that a Vietnam Vet can win any argument about Nam simply by saying, "...but you weren't there." End of story; Vet wins argument by default.
People like Ann Coulter and Al Franken are important to have around. They make it okay to talk about things we'd normally feel uneasy about...plus, I like Ann's hair.
I haven't read Ann's book nor have I read any of her books. I have however heard her in several interviews on different websites and she is never and I mean never shy about backing up something she writes. In fact she usually takes her words and makes them more harsh.
First of all, I find Ann Coulter's attitude funny. She is an iconoclast not a politician. (I also find Al Franken funny) It's a politician's job to be diplomatic and attempt to make everyone happy by using double-talk and BS. The job of an iconoclast is to challenge what are commonly held perceptions from a contrary point of view. She's good at it and besides she's trying to sell books. Personally, I relate to her attitudes because I also love seeing icons torn down, but I won't defend her. She can defend herself.
What about the wives of the 9/11 victims that she has been criticizing?
It's the role of an iconoclast to say unpleasant things sometimes. Most of the victims have struggled to go on with their lives, but others have attempted to become public figures using the leverage of their victim status. I refuse to accept that once these people become public figures they are 'untouchable' because they're also high-profile victims. If being an activist is your way of grieving then I'm sorry; you've chosen a terrible way to grieve that will never really help you to heal.
It's like how Grump has told me several times that a Vietnam Vet can win any argument about Nam simply by saying, "...but you weren't there." End of story; Vet wins argument by default.
People like Ann Coulter and Al Franken are important to have around. They make it okay to talk about things we'd normally feel uneasy about...plus, I like Ann's hair.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
No bill of rights for pharmacists
In Washington State there is a great deal of discussion about Pharmacists who may refuse to dispense birth control or 'morning after' pills based upon moral or religious grounds.
The Governor of our state has said repeatedly that pharmacists should be required by law to dispense medicine that is legally prescribed.
Every profession has a provision by where they are not required to perform certain duties based upon conscience. For example some doctors will not perform abortions and many lawyers will not work divorce cases. They can associate or disassociate freely based upon their own decision.
The debate that the pharmacist has is really with the company for which he works. If a drugstore has a policy that the pharmacist disagrees with he can go work somewhere else or even leave the profession completely.
But our governor thinks that they should not have the right to morally object. However, I wonder how she would feel if some pharmacists objected to dispensing a new medicine that say could detect and abort a fetis if it contained the 'gay' gene. Or perhaps some new genetic therapy that 'fixes' the gay gene so that the baby would grow up to be heterosexual.
Again the answer to this problem is something libertarians understand very fundamentally. Citizens should be free to engage or disengage from any business relationship as they see fit. The freedom of association must always stand as a load-bearing pillar of a free society.
The Governor of our state has said repeatedly that pharmacists should be required by law to dispense medicine that is legally prescribed.
Every profession has a provision by where they are not required to perform certain duties based upon conscience. For example some doctors will not perform abortions and many lawyers will not work divorce cases. They can associate or disassociate freely based upon their own decision.
The debate that the pharmacist has is really with the company for which he works. If a drugstore has a policy that the pharmacist disagrees with he can go work somewhere else or even leave the profession completely.
But our governor thinks that they should not have the right to morally object. However, I wonder how she would feel if some pharmacists objected to dispensing a new medicine that say could detect and abort a fetis if it contained the 'gay' gene. Or perhaps some new genetic therapy that 'fixes' the gay gene so that the baby would grow up to be heterosexual.
Again the answer to this problem is something libertarians understand very fundamentally. Citizens should be free to engage or disengage from any business relationship as they see fit. The freedom of association must always stand as a load-bearing pillar of a free society.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)