Preferably With An Erection

Recently I had  engaged in an online conversation with a gentleman who feels that it is an undue burden on businesses to be forced to "pay" for birth control options for their female employees. On the other hand,  it is fine for the same employers to "pay" for viagra for the male employees. His reasoning for this is viagra enhances the quality of life for men and women should just control their urges.
I'm fascinated by his logic. Mostly because it's illogical. Unless sex has changed recently  without my knowledge,  it still requires both a female and a male (preferably with an erection), to achieve the goal.

And so on to my confusion. Let's say women, possibly through a miracle of zen Buddhism, are suddenly able to achieve this form of inner strength , peace and enlightenment and the strongest of all natural urges is conquered, what would be the outcome?

Got Kleenex?

This lack of logical thought and self induced  hypocrisy appears to be running amuck these days, or is this the new black?  We find it in almost every aspect of American culture now.  From the so far to the right they are always wrong tea party members, the evangelical conservative 'I've never actually read the bible ' bible thumping war on Christianity religious freedom but only our version of our  religion. We keep hearing about a war on religion. But, it doesn't exist. Not really. This supposed war is a one sided one. Those claiming to be under attack are the ones doing the attacking. 

This is a well known tactic used in the past by Hitler, Stalin, McCarthy and many more. McCarthy, as an example, used a non-existent communist infiltration of America as a means of getting rid of Americans he didn't like or agree with. Today we have Ted Cruz,, who like McCarthy, is a junior unschooled politician looking for fame and power. Cruz, the son of an immigrant who entered the US illegally, (one. must first be in the country without the proper visa before one can apply for political asylum ) is anti-immigration. He is also against normalizing ties with Cuba. You might wonder why. His family had, you know, originally supported Castro until they figured out Castro was not going to bestow favor on them. (this is an assumption based on the families initial support of the revolution and the subsequent betrayal by Castro of many of the Cuban elites). Ted, I might add, is one of the biggest 'war on Christian conspiracy trumpeters. 

And now we have the GOP frontrunner who has claimed among other things that he was offered a scholarship to West Point Academy and Joseph built the pyramids to store grain in.

I have it on good authority that West Point doesn't offer any scholarships. I happen to know a West Point grad, recently promoted to  General, and am well acquainted with the processe involved in garnering an apointment to the Academy. (I've known him since he and my brother were in junior high school together)  

About this Joseph claim. If as Dr (?) Carson claims, the pyramids were built as he has stated, with all those Jews enslaved by Egypt,  where the rolling  purple doughnut did Mr Joseph get the laborers to  build the pyramids? Labor Force perhaps? Craig's list? Angels in the Mist?

I find myself beginning to lean towards the conviction that in certain situations aborting a pregnancy might not be as much of an abomination as some would like us to believe. 

did I piss you off?  I will

(rolling purple doughnut is an homige to  those brave men and crazy ass poets of the Fugs)

Poverty, Social Reality and Temporary Dignity

Instead of the usual post I thought it more important to pass this on. I will add that as much as I'd like to agree with the author, I feel obligated to state her mindset has the unfortunate consequents of perpetuating the problem.

The reason so many in this country have been unable to keep their heads above water financially is the fatal combination of the Walton exploitation of workers, the population's willingness to buy overpriced crap they don't need and the willingness to fall for anti-union propaganda. As it has been pointed out before only 6% of the workforce today are unionized. That must be one incredibly influential 6%. Or could that 6% just be a huge threat to the 1% with no jobs and all the money?

Dinner or Dignity: Expecting the Poor to Remain Moral -https://thekinfolkkollective.wordpress.com/2015/07/20/dinner-or-dignity-expecting-the-poor-to-remain-moral/

did I piss you off? I will.

Labor and Labor Day or If You Are Anti-Union Get Your Lazy Ass To Work

Hate unions? Think they are for the lazy? Well, you need to put down the beer and BBQ and get your ass to work. 12 hours a day 7 days a week. Bring the kids, it'll be fun and a great way for you to bond with them as you toil side by side. Didn't get a raise this year? You can thank yourself and the anti-union politicians you helped elect into office. Rah! Rah! Walker!!!

Here's some unions you might not know about that no one has yet tried to weaken: The Hollywood Producers union, NFL, MLB, ( all pro sports are unionized) the Policemen's, Yes friends those big sport heroes of yours making millions a year are in unions.

Did you know Ronnie Reagan was not only in SAG-AFTRA but had been the head of SAG? He still was when he started to weaken unions, he just left most of his alone. (He was still getting residual checks from all those B-movies he starred in) That's right, SAG-AFTRA collects and distributes those big fat residual checks to the  big stars as well as the bit players.

And with that I will share with you the history of #laborday






did I piss you off? I will

Tribalism and Politics

As a preface, a bit about  my upbringing. I am not from either here nor there. I was conceived outside of Los Angeles Ca., born outside of Buffalo N.Y. and learned how to walk and talk outside of Texas City Tx. I was literally raised in the backseat of a 1969 Ford station wagon. My home is America as seen from rt. 66.

By my tenth birthday I had lived in 11 towns in almost as many states. I was known, depending on where we were, as the kid from Texas or the kid from N.Y.  I have never called either place home.

This upbringing resulted in my being "not from here", a constant outsider, not a member of the tribe.

I learned early to observe the  habits and rituals of these natives and emulate them as best I could. I've lived in cities, towns and unincorporated country communities. They're all the same when it comes to tribalism. 

The follwing is the result of a conversation I overheard in a burger joint  two days ago in Arlington Tx.

"I can't be her friend 'cause she's not from here.'

Religions are a major contributor and source of tribalism as is politics.

Political tribalism. Why are you a member of your party? Is it you truly believe in what that party stands for or could you just be following the tribe?  Chances are you are following the tribe. Team spirit is a replacement term. Tribes go to war with opposing groups. We have "Team Blue ", "Team Red", thanks to the marketing "teams" re-branding efforts they are not seen as tribes, but they are.

There are sub-tribes within each major tribe. Ultra conservative, conservative, moderate and liberal. In the Christian, Judaism and Islamic  faiths we have the same tribalism. This religious tribalism crosses over into today's politics. It always has but it has become more pronounced and dangerous today than in the past.

Most of you don't know why and how the born again Christians came to embrace their pro-life stance. It was all about money. The born again movement was never realy about saving souls, it was and always has been about money and power. Today they call themselves Evangelicals. The Evangelical movement is by design non-denominational. They don't really have to share the wealth unlike the Catholic church.

This is where tribalism comes in. Tribes need to create more members. This is accomplished two ways. Conversions and procreation. Converting can be as easy as simply telling the prospective converts  what they want to hear. 'God wants you to be rich' is one of the most convincing ploys. The major problem here  is the procreation part. Women have been putting off pregnancy and have been gaining slightly more power. That is not good for the tribe. The solution?  Convert or payoff politicians. Buying judges also helps.

With politicians and the judiciary in tow passing restrictive laws becomes easy. Women lose the power they have gained and now can make more members.

One of the greatest downsides of this is tribes have a tendency towards short-sightedness. They are also blind to the agendas of outside groups willing to help them with their goals.

Enter the oligarchy! The War mongers and oil barons.

The Christian right evangelicals have a middle eastern problem. The Islamic right. Both tribes are fighting for domination. In the past the evangelicals have tried to convert in the middle east but that hasn't worked out very well for them. They tend to lose their heads. Oligarchs unfortunately for the evangelicals, worship money, power and greed. They do have a middle eastern problem too. They don't own it. So they funnel money to the evangelical right and politicians. Wars are fabricated on the false premise that Islamic radicals are threatening our way of life and Christianity.

And tribe fights tribe completely unaware that they are both being played. The agenda we rarely hear about is the oligarchs agenda. They simply want to own everything,  you included. They too are in their own little tribe.

did I piss you off?          I will.

Who voted these republican contenders into office?

Running with the assumption you have been following the GOP presidential candidate hopefuls, I have to ask who voted these people into office in the first place?

To the person they have at best a poor knowledge of American history and at worst, none what so ever. Contrary to their claims America was not founded on Christianity. Their interpretation of the bill of rights consists solely of a warped and self-serving view that ignores the rights of the majority of citizens. Two of them are the sons of immigrants. One of these is the son of an immigrant  who had been granted political asylum. Funny thing about that,  you can't apply until you are either past your stay as stated on your visa or you have to have entered illegally. The other? Well let's point out his family bio is a smidgen fabricated and leave it at that. These are two of the most vocal anti-immigrant hopefuls,

This looks to be one interesting race to the bottom.

did I piss you off?  I will.

The Truth Behind The War On Christianity

For the past few decades  we have been  hearing a constant stream of  this  supposed  war on Christianity. Waged  by Hollywood  and the  Liberal  Media,  homosexuals, moral deviants,  socialists and fascists. Who are these poor innocent Christians who have found themselves under  attack? Who wages war against them and to what end must these Christians  go to defend Christianity?

The answer goes back to just after WII. The beginning of the new Evangelical movement. Some Evangelicals formed  churches, some discovered radio. And they made money. What, at the time was a lot of  money. The money would become the main  motivation to expand their  reach.

By the early 1970's out of this movement sprang  the Born again Christians headed  by James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Francis A. Schaefer, D. James Kennedy, Jerry Falwell and others.* 

As their influence  grew so grew their thirst for power. They  courted politicians and began grooming their  followers to run for office. The goal?  Create  a Christian theocracy. But to achieve this they had to convince their  followers that not just America but Christianity was under attack. Enter the Moral Majority.

Under this new name they concentrated on public policy. After Reagan was elected they formed the CNP (Council for National Policy). A forerunner of ALEC. Headed by the likes of Falwell. Robertson, Rushdoony and Amway founder R. DeVvos Sr. and Jos. Coors of Coors Beer.*

 Throughout the years evangelical  members  were introduced  to senators  and governors.  Ronald Reagan was very receptive. He would later appoint one to Surgeon General (Koop) and nominated   for Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia. G.W. Bush (born again/saved in 1984) would appoint Clarence Thomas. They sit there to this  day. 

Both houses  of  Congress are littered with  them. They call  themselves  tea party activists and libertarians. And they have declared  war on all who do not hold to their religious beliefs. Since they are at war with the "Them", the "Them" must be at  war  with the "True Believers ", as they call themselves.

These "Believers " lie, cheat, steal and kill under the guise that as long as it is done to the non-believers it is moral to do so. They are special. God, according to their religious beliefs, has given  them free  admission to Heaven. Their goal is to usher in the second  coming  and the rapture. It's  not climate change as those atheist scientists claim. It's God's word and will. Jesus is God to them and God is Jesus. God/Jesus only loves  them. 

Recommended reading- Why I am an Athiest Who Believes in God http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Atheist-Who-Believes-God/dp/149595501X Frank Sheaffer (son of Francis A. Scheaffer)

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America

*American Fascist: The Christian Right and the War on America was the main text used as reference. I witnessed this movement's growth from the age of 12 on. Now, as back then, I have yet to understand how anyone with the ability to think could fall for the lies of these hucksters. 

did i piss you off?   i will