Taking the Supertrain

Well, not really, because I live in a country where we can't have nice things like Supertrains or National Healthcare due to the need for tax cuts for people like Mitt Romney. However, I am currently on an Amtrak train going to Chicago. Aside from relieving me of the hassle and expenses of driving, I'm impressed by the comfort and the courtesy and professionalism of the crew. It really is a great way to travel and it's a shame we can't find away to invest in more and better ways to do it, and get more people on board, so to speak. Too bad those Europeans are such dirty commie hippies, or we might learn something from them.

And Your Little Dog, Too

Well, now, here's something interesting.  See, there are Assholes on the Internet, like George Tierney, Jr., of Greenville, South Carolina, who took to Twitter to loudly and profanely denounce Georgetown College student Sandra Fluke, and then, there are assholes on the Internet who do little, less vulgar but no less damaging things to coarsen our discourse and pit us against each other.

My friend Hecate pointed me to this post, in which the author links to a post on her blog.  Now, Hecate is a Witch, and she happens to be a friend of mine, one whose wisdom and kindness has had a very positive effect on my life.  So, naturally, I was a bit taken aback by the fact that the author of this blog felt that her religion was something past which one must get to appreciate the content of her post.  I posted a comment on that blog, very nicely (I promise - no swears or anything - I do know how to conduct myself with decorum when it is called for) asking just that:  Why did he feel that it was necessary to "get past" her religion?  That's it.  This afternoon, upon returning to that blog, I noticed that my comment had been deleted.  Hmmm.  Interesting. 

Look, pally, if you're going to bring up someone's religion in a derogatory manner, I'm going to call you on it.  We either have freedom of religion, and that means ALL religions, or we don't.  I am not a believer of any stripe myself, and, frankly, I find the whole thing silly, but last I checked, it wasn't Witches who were trying to violate my right to privacy in my medical decisions by legislating their morality and passing countless bills to limit access to safe, legal abortions all across this country.    It's not Witches who are taking to court the matter of whether or not birth control pills should be covered by my insurance policy, based solely on their "religious consciences."  It's not Witches who are attempting to subjugate an entire segment of our population by forcing their religious beliefs about marriage on the rest of us.  I, and the Witches, and the rest of us who are not crazy Christian fanatics have to "get past" a whole lot of bullshit like this, every stinking day.  That's a lot more tolerance than overlooking the fact that someone finds peace in her garden or enjoys dancing naked in the moonlight.  So, a hale and hearty "fuck you" to you, sir.

And Salting the Earth..

Wow.  Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina, is actually campaigning for that snot-nosed, criminal asshole governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, currently up for recall, and touting herself as a union buster, as if that's a good thing?  What in the sweet mother of fuck is wrong with this country? You like your fucking weekend? You like your living wage? You like your forty-hour week? You like making overtime? You like having health insurance?   You like not having to compete with your twelve year-old for a job in the coal mine? Thank a motherfucking union, asshole.

Eating the Seed Corn

I would like to direct the five or six people who read this blog to Echidne, who has a wonderfully simple explanation of the Republican plan for education.

See, the thing is, in education, as in fiscal policy and so many other things, the Republicans take the short-sighted, corporate view:  What is good for the bottom line, right now?  Just as businesses have taken on the habit of slashing the workforce in order to improve quarterly profits, sacrificing our manufacturing base and shrinking our tax base, Republicans would have us sacrifice the education of our children for a short-term gain financially.  Doctors, lawyers, engineers, (gasp) teachers?  Who needs those?  Why should our kids be well-educated and our teachers be well-paid and respected?  They will not need these skills in the future, when the Magical Free Market will have them all working for two dollars a day in Uncle Mitt's Sweatshop. 

Dirty Deeds

In the comments to the previous post, Gummo spurred a memory.  This one is dedicated to George Tierney, Jr., of Greenville, South Carolina.

That Google Problem

It seems that George Tierney, Jr., of Greenville, South Carolina has a wee bit of a problem.  Actually, he has two problems.  The first is that he's a sexist asshole, and the second is that he has no understanding at all about how the Internet works.  In case no one told you, George Tierney, Jr., of Greenville South Carolina, the Internet is forever, so if you don't want people to Google your name and find out what a sexist fucktard you are, you probably shouldn't use Twitter, George Tierney, Jr., of Greenville, South Carolina, to call nice young ladies cunts and dick-suckers.